The Path to You All
by Austin Jade
Summary: They had a bond…and they were friends. Naruto. Sakura. Sasuke. Team Seven has lost much, yet gained even more in their journey. What final obstacle stands in the way of their reunion? Read and Review, Please.
1. The Path to Dusk

_Once in a lifetime…even a child prodigy exceeds the wildest of expectations…_

_Once in a lifetime…a boyhood fantasy is surpassed by his journey in reality…_

**Chapter 1: The Path to Dusk**

'…Where…'

Uzumaki Naruto grunted in discomfort from being knocked unconscious for what seemed like hours. The blonde moaned when his head throbbed mercilessly, halting any sudden movement or attempt to do so decisively. His eyes had yet to open, but the pain in his head made the boy sick. A sick gag erupted from the youngster's stomach, convulsing his body and causing him to cough suddenly.

That's when the genin's training kicked in and he noticed something was wrong. When he opened his mouth to cough, the force erupted from his chest. But no sound came out. In fact, the boy tightened his eyelids shut and forced himself to hear. No sound was heard, at all. No birds chirping. No wind rustling leaves. It was just a soundless pit.

Naruto gulped and felt beads of sweat collect on his neck and he shivered. It was then he noticed how cold his skin felt. He didn't feel anything but a chill. It wasn't something natural; it was as if the shinobi simply lost the innate ability to produce body heat.

The ninja forced aside his unrelenting headache and slowly opened his eyes to see where he was at. It was then he found out, or rather, didn't find out.

There was nothing but a sea of black in his entire field of vision. He was floating in midair, but the boy could hardly tell if he was looking into the sky or looking to the ground. He couldn't even tell if he was standing or prostrate on the ground.

A pit of uneasiness finally revealed itself within his abdomen. He tried to move his arms and legs to stand up. However, he merely waved his extremities aimlessly in the air, causing his body to suddenly somersault from the rapid motion, doing little to calm his motion sickness he was experiencing.

After slowing down and squelching his angry belly, Naruto lay out and tried to calm his nerves. He closed his eyes, again. His mind drifted away, remembering some of the recent past events that brought him to his current predicament.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto's Shadow Clone had just shattered Tobi's mask with a Rasengan after the rogue ninja disappeared with his Mangekyo Sharingan's Space-Time Jutsu. Tobi reappeared without a mask, but he shielded his face with his right sleeve. An irritated growl rose up from the man's throat.

"There's no use hiding your face, now," Hatake Kakashi firmly stated. "Show yourself to us."

Might Guy stepped forward, placing an arm in front of his silver-haired compatriot to stop him from advancing. "Kakashi," he stated, "I know you want to find out who he is, but rushing ahead in your condition isn't wise."

Kakashi eyed him warily, causing Guy to continue. "You've used your Mangekyo Sharingan a lot, already. If the blood dripping from your eye wasn't a clue, your uneasy stance would be." The jounin conceded, wiping the blood from his eye. He noticed his field of vision had lessened.

Naruto landed in front of his teacher. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei," he started. "B and I have this. We don't need any more casualties."

A chuckle rose from the field ahead of them, directly from the ninja who opposed them. He lowered his arm to reveal many scarred features on the right side that were a reconstructed mess. From a distance, it could pass for a normal face, but up close it appeared like it was repeatedly built up, destroyed, and recreated from scratch, until it came to look like a regular face. Scars intertwined in an awkward helix, dancing up and down and side by side on the leader's visage. The blemishes and discoloration made the right half of his features appear several years older than his left. The only portion that was untouched was his Rinnegan.

The left side didn't appear to be as damaged, but looked weathered by age. What appeared odd by the aging was the intact left side had a boyish charm, despite several wrinkles. Short black hair wafted lazily in the wind.

Kakashi's eyes darkened. "You…is it really…?"  
A confident smirk appeared on his face that reached the man's eyes. "It's about time you remembered me, old friend." the man declared.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Does this guy know Kakashi-sensei?" he inquired.

The man placed his gloved hand lightly by his Sharingan. "It's been about…17 years…right, Kakashi?" He chuckled again. "I haven't shown this face to anyone, since then. I certainly didn't expect you to be the one to unmask me. I suppose it should have been fated, though. You did get that Sharingan from me."

"You died at the Kannabi Bridge…!" Guy declared. "Why're you…here?  
"Uchiha Obito…" Kakashi breathed.

"I do see the power you've gained from that eye, Kakashi," Obito stated. "But still…even as my old friend…" He gritted his teeth. "…I hated it!" Kakashi's eyes widened, and his face dropped.

"All you do is spend time at that monument," Obito jeered. "Remembering the past…worrying about what could have been…What, really, have you done? You couldn't protect Rin. You couldn't even protect your students from fighting each other in a battle to the death." Kakashi didn't speak. "You have no response?"

"Knock it off!"

Obito's gaze moved to the source of the voice. Kakashi, as well, lifted his eyes towards it. Naruto stood there, determination creasing his face. "You haven't seen Kakashi-sensei in a long time, and then you start to judge him!?"

"Naruto…"

"What do you know about him!? You used to be friends with him, right? What right do you have to judge him!? Huh!?"

"Uzumaki Naruto…" Obito breathed. "The Fourth's Legacy…" He grinned. "There is much to this story that you don't know about. Don't get involved in an adult's discussion."

"Knowing the story doesn't have anything to do with it!" the genin savagely protested. "A friend is a friend for a lifetime! No matter what! A friend will always extend a hand out. You're just coming up with excuses not to understand!"

The Akatsuki leader laughed. "Are you saying that to me? Or are you just practicing for Sasuke?" The blonde flinched. "I already told you; he's the real thing...a true avenger. If you think I'm cold, I can't imagine what will happen when the two of you meet."

"The same thing that I said was going to happen from the moment he left Konoha," Naruto stated loudly. "I'm going to bring him back home!"

B whistled in approval. "This guy is one hell of a friend~ Fighting for him till the very end~"

"Enough." Kakashi and Guy landed next to Naruto and B. "Naruto, thanks. Obito, I understand that you may hate the way I live." The enemy's gaze remained steadfast. "But, right now, my trusted comrades and beloved students are fighting with everything in their being to protect this world you seem to have grown to hate. I won't make the mistake of being indecisive at this juncture."

The Uchiha raised his arms. "Then come at me."

The silver-haired jounin lowered his voice. "Everyone, I have a plan. But I'll need a distraction. And I'll only have one shot at it."

"You got it, Kakashi!" Guy roared, unleashing seven Gates to power up. He sprang into action, flying towards the Uchiha. Obito gracefully dodged out of the way of the assault, using a single arm to block the attack, before jumping high into the air.

"Let's go, B!" Naruto hollered, igniting his Nine-Tails Form, once again, and joining in the fight.

"This could end the fighting of masses~ we're finally gonna put boots to asses~!" B chimed, as he charged forth.

Kakashi watched the battle unfold, with Naruto using a Rasengan barrage to disable Tobi, with little effect. He then put his plan into action, forming a series of hand signals and focusing most of his remaining chakra into his left eye. "This had better work…if our Eyes are connected…then…"

Obito dodged a Lightning-charged punch from B, followed by another Rasengan. Obito grabbed Naruto by the collar of his jacket and rotated in the air thrice for momentum. Guy charged forward, seven Gates unlocked, and prepared for another round of taijutsu.

The Akatsuki leader launched Naruto in his clutches at Guy. Guy used Naruto as a launching pad and jumped towards Obito. Obito fell back with the strike, striking Guy's midsection with a stiff kick, and launched himself away from the trio of ninja.

Gravity took control, causing Obito to fall towards the ground, preparing to land, he saw a new attack approaching; a massive purple ball of Chakra in the form of a Tailed Beast Ball. Obito spat as he realized the attack would strike without using Kamui. In seconds, the man's form rippled then vanished from sight.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Obito reappeared in his other dimension, deftly landing on his feet and exhaling heavily. "Having trouble against Naruto and the others?"

Obito whirled around and saw Kakashi standing there, his entire body visible in the new dimension. The silver-haired ninja's Sharingan, though, was barely staying open and, consequently, Kakashi's form was fading in and out.

The missing-nin spat. "I figured you'd try to lead me here to take me out," he noted. "But what can you do in your state? You've overused Kamui. Even now, your Mangekyo Sharingan is about to close, forever."

"I still have enough Chakra to deal with you."

Obito coughed a laugh. "Come of it, Kakashi. As you are now, you can't possibly hope to deal with me."

"Wrong." The jounin sighed. "I want to know why you look aged. If you're really Obito, you shouldn't be any older than me. So why are you suddenly looking as if you're late middle-ages?"

"I am Obito," the man reiterated. "Or, rather, I'm his shadow; the shadow of all Uchiha; the Legacy of Madara." Obito chuckled at the opponent's puzzled gaze. "I don't expect you to understand. But, really, I have lived my life by transferring my essence from Uchiha to Uchiha, even though I originally didn't belong to their clan."

"You weren't originally an Uchiha?"

"Correct. But I was Madara's apprentice. I owed him after he saved me."

"Who are you?"

"I'm sure you'll learn soon enough. Your student's just about done with it. And then he and Naruto will end everything."

Kakashi grimaced, grabbing his left eye "Can't keep your Sharingan active? It looks like you've reached your limit, Kakashi." Obito performed a series of hand signs, grabbing his right wrist and charging up a ball of Chakra.

The silver-haired ninja's eye widened. "Lightning Cutter…!"

"With the Sharingan, I am able to analyze and copy any ninjutsu," the Uchiha explained. "With the Rinnegan, I can use all the basic nature transformations. You sealed your fate when you used that Kunai the first time."

"I want to talk to Obito," Kakashi hoarsely released, his voice and presence fading.

"We have nothing more to say to each other," the man roared, barreling down on the Konoha jounin.

"I said, I want to talk with Obito!" Kakashi roared. He forced his left eye open, again. Blood dripped vociferously from the socket, causing redness to overwhelm the eyeball.

The Akatsuki Leader stalled and grunted, grabbing his head with his free hand. The older man dropped to his knees, seemingly in pain, fighting an unseen enemy. "Krrr….Ka…Ka…kashi…" he muttered, this time in a boyish voice. The Konoha ninja's eyes stayed firm. "Ka…kashi…is that you?"

"…Obito?" the jounin questioned warily, keeping an eye on lightning-blazoned hand.

Obito raised his head with a noticeably gentler look in his eyes. "Kakashi…it's been too long…" He smiled tenderly. "What brings you to see me?"

"Obito…I just wanted to talk to you…why are you working for the Akatsuki?"

Obito sighed. "Ahhh…that…I thought it was a dream, but I guess not…"

"A dream?"

"I was watching you and Rin escape from that avalanche, when everything around me became dark. The next thing I knew, I was up and walking around. But…I could see in two different places, my left eye in one place, while my right was in another. There was only one place could I actually move and control my actions, however. That was in this body." He motioned to the form he currently held.

"I have no idea how I got in here…but I suddenly knew so much more. About life. About the world. And I had a second chance. I wanted to see you and Rin-chan…and Minato-sensei, again. So I came back to Konoha."

"Obito…" Kakashi walked up to Obito and offered a hand.

The Uchiha wiped his eyes. "I was always a crybaby…" he gulped, taking Kakashi's hand and standing up. "But…after I saw you…and that monument…I decided that I didn't want there to be anymore sadness in the world. And that I would do anything to get there."

"…Obito?"

A hand stabbed through Kakashi's chest violently. An abnormal amalgam of warm blood, tingling electricity and numb disbelief mixed in the mind of the jounin.

The Akatsuki leader glanced up from the Konoha ninja's left breast to his eyes; eyes that were filled with pain and disapproval. "Heh…Those were the same eyes you always looked at me with…whenever I was late to a meeting," Obito breathed. "But I've already killed many…too many…Minato-sensei…Rin-chan…I've come too far to stop, now." His mouth was contorted in rage, but his eyes betrayed his cavernous sorrow.

Kakashi raised his eyes away from Obito and closed his eyes. He gripped Obito's wrist, firmly but gently. "Obito…I don't know whether you've grown to regret giving me this eye of yours or not…but, I want you to know that, even knowing that you're trying to shatter the entire world…" The missing-nin's eyes widened, when he felt warm saline water trickle onto his coat. "I have nothing but joy from finally being able to see you again"

Kakashi's form flickered and vanished from the Space-Time Migration dimension. Obito held his right hand in midair for a moment longer. "He deactivated it a moment before I struck or…?"

He raised his sleeve to eye level, noting the few drips of blood and tears mixed onto it, not dried. The Uchiha sighed heavily, lowering his gaze.

"…You're not supposed to be the crybaby…"

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto doubled over, panting heavily while he waited on the ground with his associates. It had been several moments since his mentor and the man called Tobi had vanished from view via the Space-Time Migration jutsu, and the blonde was getting restless, thinking that his sensei should be done by now.

His fellow ninja also stood next to him. Opening seven of the Inner Gates had taxed Guy's body to its limit. He lay on the ground and had been motionless for some time, his muscle fibers either almost or completely torn. His ragged breathing helped some, but overall did little to lessen the pain and tension that covered his entire body.

B and Gyuki seemed to be doing better, but the constant battles were also starting to take their toll on the jinchuriki and his partner. They had become noticeably quieter and talking between themselves. B, himself, appeared somewhat perturbed by whatever it was the two were discussing.

Seeing the Eight-Tailed Beast reminded Naruto of his own partner. "How're you holding up, Kurama?" he inquired. The fox didn't answer, right away, leaving the genin rather concerned about his newfound partner. "Kurama?"

"I'm here, Kit," the creature growled deeply. "Talking business with Eight. What is it?"

"I was just making sure you're all together."

"If I weren't, you wouldn't be, either." Naruto snorted at the reply. Although the two had started to get along, the fox was still coarse with him. The blonde felt that was one thing the two had in common, though.

"What were you and Eight talking about?" the genin inquired.

The Chakra Beast grunted. "Trying to figure out how to destroy that damned Demonic Statue. That Flame Battle Encampment doesn't allow us near it, but the sooner we get rid of it, the better for us."

Naruto eyed the eerie statue clutching its head and howling a fair distance away. "Say…Kurama…" Another grumble of acknowledgement came in Naruto's mind. "That thing has your Chakra, right?"

"What about it?"

"If it's your Chakra, couldn't you try to control it? Maybe disrupt the ritual?"

"It's not that simple. It's locked away in that damned gourd and pot. I can't get them out, no matter what."

"What about Eight's?"

"…I don't know. That Statue may work like the stuff that's got my Chakra."

"But…we have to do something…"

A whirr resounded nearby and interrupted their discussion. A small vortex opened for a split second. Out dropped the blonde's mentor on one knee, barely steadying himself.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called, gaining the attention of Guy and B. Naruto raced over and caught the silver-haired ninja, who had begun to collapse from his state.

"Naruto…" he gasped, realizing whose arms he had fallen into. "Thanks…"

"You all right, Kakashi?" Guy called from his position. Naruto stood up to lift his Sensei. "Sorry, I'd get up, but…"

"It's ok, Guy…those Gates must have ruined most of your muscles, by now," he informed the man. "Don't push it."

"Sure took your time~ But the result was sublime~" B rapped.

Kakashi raised his brow. "You mean…Obito's not back, yet?"

"You didn't finish him?" Naruto questioned, but saw the pained look in his eye. "Right…he's your friend…"

"It's ok, Naruto," he gently noted. "I had to use the last of my Chakra to escape that dimension. I think I overused my Mangekyo Sharingan." He motioned to his left eye, which was now bleeding profusely. "I can't see out of it, at all."

Naruto let the man go, allowing him to lie on the ground next to Guy. "We still have to find a way to stop the ritual."

"I was thinking about that…" Naruto started. A humongous roar echoed throughout the battlefield, causing the ground to quake and cutting the genin off.

"What was that!?" Guy hollered.

The group turned to the statue. It had stood up and begun to advance on the ninja at a methodical pace. In the shadow of the Demonic Statue, a lone figure stood resolute, guiding the beast towards its prey, holding a series of hand signals.

"Is that, Obito?" Kakashi asked.

B and Naruto squinted at the silhouette. "Nah…he looks different…" B commented first.

The Konoha genin agreed. "Yeah…he has longer hair, for one…"

"Uchiha Madara…" a voice rumbled in the teenager's head.

"What did you say…!?" Kakashi gasped. "The Kages…!"

A deep, arrogant voice whispered to them. "I never thought Tobi would be taken out by the likes of you," the voice stated with cold indifference. "I suppose you'll have to perish before the Eye of the Moon Plan is complete."

He finished with his hand signs and the Demonic Statue began to glow, gathering energy into the protrusions on its back. Naruto immediately grabbed Kakashi to pick him up, again.

"C'mon, boys, we gotta roll!" B hollered, grabbing Guy hurriedly. The bowl-cut jounin howled at the man to be gentle due to his condition, but B ignored the complaints in order to move faster. The protrusions glowing peaked as the ninja raced away. A loud explosion pronounced the launch of several energy blasts that raced towards the fleeing shinobi. The jinchuriki split up, each carrying a jounin away from the barrage.

Naruto and Kakashi had evaded a pair of detonations from the attack, but a third was about to hit them. Naruto landed on a cliff side and was about to spring off when it caved. The blonde cursed under his breath and tried to regain his footing.

"Naruto!" Kakashi cried. The boy turned and saw the ball almost upon them.

A stiff shot on top of his head suddenly knocked the boy holding his teacher to the ground at the bottom of the ravine. He instinctively covered his and the jounin's heads.

A loud crack reverberated above the pair followed by a thump and a crackle of rocks falling around them. After the sounds had stopped, Naruto looked up, pushing off the minimal debris that covered him and his mentor. "Kakashi-sensei, are you ok?"

The blonde helped the older ninja into a sitting position, allowing him to peer around. "What…was that?" They both looked around and found some debris still settling next to the mountainside and what looked like a black coat lying within the crevice.

"Kakashi-sensei…" the genin muttered worriedly. He nodded and slowly rose under his own power, approaching the smoldering figure. Naruto gulped and followed him warily.

The man had half of a deformed face and half of a normal face. He wore the Akatsuki cloak, though smoke now billowed off of it and part of it had been obliterated. The left side of the man's body was mostly gone and redness seeped out relentlessly. Only the head was intact.

The man coughed and looked up at the silver-haired jounin. "Looks like…this may really be it…Kakashi…"

"Obito…" Kakashi began. "Why…?"

"…when I came to…in this body…I saw two fields of vision. 'Tobi'…and you…" he coughed. "At first this voice…it told me…we would change the world. But…I didn't want it to change. I thought…it was good…

"But I constantly saw you at that monument…and I thought…that maybe my gift was useless baggage…maybe, it wasn't so good…you went to that monument everyday…I didn't want that. I wanted you…and everyone…to be happy…

"I couldn't take it, anymore…so I finally, let 'Tobi' take over…and watched from a distance…and then…Kirigakure…Akatsuki…I even took Rin-chan's and Minato-sensei's lives…" Tears started leaking out of the fading Rinnegan eye.

"Obito…you're right…for a while, I was filled with depression," the jounin explained. "It hurt. My weakness hurt. My foolishness hurt. Especially knowing it killed you…my best friend. But, slowly, I started opening up to others. Guy…Asuma…Kurenai…they all helped me. Even Rin and Minato-sensei…while they were still here. But, I think the moment I completely pulled out of my depression was when I got my first team." He glanced back at Naruto.

"It was like watching the three of us, again. And it made me happy…" He stared back firmly at the prone Akatsuki leader in front of him. "But, now the Team has been separated. And two of them are trying to get the last member back. I refuse to let what happen to us happen to them. And that's why I'm helping them.

"Obito…you didn't want suffering in the world…but now, you're just creating it. By trying to manipulate Sasuke, you're causing the same thing that happened to our team happen again. I can't let that happen; because I don't believe you want it to happen."

Obito's eye widened, but he nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, Kakashi…I don't…have a gift, this time…" He released a shallow breath.

The jounin knelt down. "It's mine turn to give you a gift. Rest easy, my friend. I won't let this world have the despair you feared it would."

The man grinned brightly as a stream of tears poured down his cheek. Kakashi noted the lack of breathing from his friend and slid his hand over his remaining eye, closing it.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Obito…" Naruto murmured. The man had created a lot of sadness in Naruto's life, but at the end, he couldn't help but relate with the leader of the Akatsuki. He had been told that he couldn't try to talk Tobi out of his plan; Shikamaru's dad had been right.

There was one who could talk him down. It was his friend and Naruto's mentor.

"Kakashi-sensei is really amazing…" Naruto realized, "…but I…"

**XXXXXXXXX**

"You're going," the silver-haired jounin declared. The explosions from the Demonic Statue in the distance had ceased long before, though the howling still strained the air throughout the area. The sky had begun to grow darker as dusk approached. The only light illuminating the battleground was the moon and the pillar of unnatural red light that spiraled from the ground toward it.

Naruto nodded somberly, staring at the beam that enveloped the moon. "Sorry I can't take you with me, Kakashi-sensei. I know you'd want to be there."

His mentor grunted a laugh. "I wouldn't exactly be of much use at this point and we've run out of time for those who cannot fight to heal. And after I talked so big to Obito, too."

"No, you've done more than enough."

Kakashi was surprised by the statement; the determination within it. He glanced at the young ninja, whose back was to him.

'_The next generation will always surpass the previous one. It's one of the never-ending cycles of life.'_ The ninja smirked.

"Naruto," the boy peered over his shoulder at the prone ninja, "Good luck."

Naruto grinned at the man and took off in the direction of the din. Kakashi watched his back disappear into the trees and then leaned back against the rock wall. His eyes lowered to the makeshift memorial that had been quickly erected consisting of a shallow grave, a kunai, and a Konoha headband pinned to the center.

'Naruto…you've inherited everyone's dreams, now…and yet, even with that burden, I've never seen you stronger. But the future needs shinobi like you. So…no matter what happens with Madara…with Sasuke…you have to stay alive…' Darkness soon welcomed the weary warrior.

**XXXXXXXXX**

The blonde ninja dashed through the branches, leaping from one limb to the next as the devilish roar's volume increased. Loose offshoots from the plants brushed against the boy's skin and clothes. Minor tears and scratches appeared periodically on his skin, but he ignored them. Clothing could be repaired and injuries could be healed. The world wouldn't wait, however.

"Kit," a low growl echoed in the ninja's head.

"Kurama?"

"This is bigger than anything you've done before…this is the guy who started this whole thing. You up for this?"

"More than anything I've ever been in my life…I'm all fired up! We can end this war, then!"

The boy felt gentle warmth wrap his mind and chest and recognized it as the fox grinning. "You're right, we can do this."

The end of the forest could be seen from their branch, now. Naruto froze on the last tree and peered through the leaves. The blonde saw the Demonic Statue of the Six Paths and Uchiha Madara, along with a pair of combatants facing off with each other.

"Eight and B are…!" Naruto gasped.

"We have to hurry," Kurama said. "They're strong, but they can't handle both of them on their own."

The shinobi raced along the ground towards the monstrous statue and its controller. After several moments, the pair arrived and resonated with each others' Chakra. He charged a Rasengan, and dove towards Madara, who appeared to have some set of hand signals formed.

The Uchiha noticed the incoming projectile and leapt into the air, dodging the strike at the last moment. He deftly back flipped and landed onto a nearby cliff. His hands had not left their position in front of his body.

"Naruto!" B hollered. "You finally made it!"

The blonde glanced over at the massive form of the Kumogakure jinchuriki. B grabbed the boy and lifted him up. "B!"

The Eight-Tailed Beast's voiced echoed. "Now that you're here, we can perform your suggestion, earlier, Naruto." The boy raised an eyebrow. "Kurama told me of your plan for us to resonate with our Chakra. I didn't know if it might work, at first, but because our Chakra is mixed in the pillar being sent up to the moon, I think we can disrupt it, at least enough to screw up the Eye of the Moon Plan."

"But we're gonna need time to synchronize~" Gyuki's jinchuriki added. "So the distraction will be left up to you guys~"

"You're going to have to fight Madara two-on-one, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in conviction. "Kurama and I can handle it," the genin declared. "There's no way we're gonna lose."

"You just worry about your part of the deal, Eight," the fox rumbled. The B/Eight-Tails combo nodded firmly.

As Naruto ignited his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode again, the Konoha ninja charged towards the Uchiha. He created a group of Shadow Clones, sending several to charge at the opponent. Again, it appeared that Madara was unwilling to fight with Naruto, preferring to dodge the series of attacks that the boy unleashed.

"You returned to your Master, Nine-Tails," the man's voice intoned mystically.

"What'd you do with the Village's Kages!?" Naruto demanded.

Madara thrust a kick at several of the clones, forcing them to vanish. "I defeated them. But, sensing the end was near for my apprentice, I decided to forge my way here. They're probably still mourning over that Ohnoki."

Naruto grit his teeth. "The Old Tsuchikage…?" he breathed. "What did you do!?"

The man's Rinnegan gleamed bright pale purple. "The same thing I've done to anyone who's tried to get in the way of the Eye of the Moon Plan. Eliminate."

"Why do you want to do this?" Naruto cried. "Why control the world!?" The genin created more clones, which started rushing towards the opponent with a series of Rasengan.

Madara scoffed darkly. "Only a fool would think that. But, you shall soon be rid of your cursed power." As he finished, his eyes pulsated. A massive transparent spine erupted from behind the man.

"What the…?" the blonde marveled.

"Kit!" Kurama roared "Rasenshuriken! Before he finishes Susano'o!"

Naruto gasped and crossed his middle and index fingers on both hands, creating a pair of clones. They began to form the pattern and nature transformations for the attack. A group of protrusions ejected from the spinal cord and slowly wrapped around the creator. A shrill bell tone resounded, as the two Shadow Clones dissipated in a cloud of smoke.

"Go for it! Naruto!" Kurama commanded. Not needing a second beckoning, the boy launched himself forward and let the bluish-white fuma shuriken flew from his palm. Madara's visage showed little change as the Chakra-filled attack made its deathly advance. Suddenly, a thin purple object dropped from above and collided full force with the Wind Release attack, causing a massive white explosion that enveloped both of the shinobi.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon realizing he was still intact. His gaze immediately went into the middle of the explosion, inspecting it to find any source of Madara.

Kurama grouched. "It didn't work."

Naruto nodded. "It used up a bunch of Chakra, too. I don't think I could do it, again." He closed his eyes and exhaled to calm himself and sat down on the ground. "What do I do, now?"

"Naruto, Kurama," a voice echoed inside the boy's head.

"Eight? Did you guys do it?"

B's noticeable hoarse voice also appeared. "I think we're just about done here, boys~ Better finish up with your toys~!"

A bright light flashed in front of Naruto, interrupting the Kumogakure Tailed Beast. The boy stared in front of him and saw a group of twelve massive red magatama heading towards him.

"I won't allow you to interfere in my plans further," Madara declared. "The Infinite Tsukuyomi will be finished!"

"Naruto! Get down!" Kurama shouted too late, as the projectiles were already upon the pair. They floated above the head of the Konoha shinobi, however.

"B! Eight!" Naruto cried.

Moments later a high-pitched howl of pain roared from behind them as five of the teardrop-shaped magatama collided with the Final Form of B's Eight-Tails Chakra Form. One drilled into its neck, two into either shoulder, and two into its lower abdomen. The magatama dug deep into the ethereal skin with a sickening shredding sound, making it sound like the body was being torn apart.

An unearthly roar erupted from the throat of the beast, piercing the air and making the ground crackle and quake. The penetrating cry became more feral as the beast was dragged closer to the Demonic Statue.

"B…!" a low growl from the bull demon roared.

The Statue turned to face the Tailed Beast approaching it and its eyes emanated an unnatural color. The color mirrored in kind within the Eight-Tails' sockets, resonating with the energy from the vile figure. The statue's mouth steadily opened and began to absorb the spirit from the Eight-Tails.

"B…" the echo of the voice was less pronounced from before. "…I won't…"

A small platinum-blonde figure was ejected from one of the tentacles of the beast and placed on the ground away from the battle between the Tailed Beast and Statue. A few more moments of struggle and the Chakra Beast was swallowed into the vacuum of the Statue.

A weak arm extended towards the enormous Statue. "Gyuki…my…friend…" B's arm fell limp onto his abdomen and he became motionless.

"Eight…B…" Naruto breathed. "Is he…?"

"No," Kurama stated. "Gyuki left a small amount of his Chakra. The separation was his own doing, not forced. But still…"

The blonde genin turned to the Statue, which had once again grabbed its makeshift skull. The pillar of Chakra had begun its rotation back to the moon, which was now more than half-red from the Plan. The motion of the veil covering the moon had also increased in speed, beginning to rise up to the top of the moon.

"We've got more important things to worry about, Kit," Kurama declared. "We have to take down Madara. Take down Madara, and we end the Shinobi World War."

Naruto faced the Sharingan wielder, whose Susano'o had dissipated to merely a ribcage shielding the man. Closer inspection of the man showed that some of his body had taken cellular damage from the blast. The man's clothes had been shredded on his body, revealing splotches of skin that had been burned off and disfigured. Patches of his body had become blackened and charred.

"The energy from the explosion leaked through his Susano'o?" the Konoha nin inquired. "But why didn't it affect me?"

"Thank me later," the Fox stated heavily.

"Kurama?"

"We need to figure out what to do, now. Madara looks to have taken damage, and that attack he used on Eight-Tails took out a bunch of his Chakra."

Madara suddenly vanished from view and reappeared directly in front of Naruto. "I can't wait any longer."

"Shit…!" Naruto felt the rage from his Tailed Beast overwhelm him and shove his mind out of the way.

"Kurama!" Madara's Rinnegan flashed to his Sharingan. A second later, the blonde felt his mind split in two; the Konoha shinobi and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto felt himself dropping in front of a massive prison and landed hard onto the water that lay at the foot of the cage. Though the doors were open, the Fox was inside, once again. The blonde picked his head up and saw Kurama staring back at him. His right eye had the Mangekyo Sharingan, while his left was squinted and seemed to be resisting the transformation into Madara's eye.

"Kurama…what's going on?"

"There's not much time, Kit," the Chakra Breast told the boy. "Madara has a connection with me from before. He's trying to reactivate that link and take control of me. If he does while I'm inside you, who knows what could happen."

Naruto's mouth widened. "But, can't I help you fight it like last time?"

"His Eyes…they're too strong at this distance." Kurama's left eye began to change into the unmistakable pattern of Madara's Mangekyo, but the Fox shook his head to force it away.

"Listen, Kit. You have to release me." The blonde's eyes widened.

"But what'll happen to you!?"

"I'll probably be absorbed into the Statue of the Six Paths."

"No!"

"Kit, there's no time! If you get absorbed with me, this whole War is for nothing!"

"I don't know what you mean! You and I just began to understand each other! We're friends, now! I don't turn my back on my friends! That's my—"

"Ninja Way?" Kurama finished. "What about your other friends?" Naruto grit his teeth.

The Chakra Beast sighed. "Look…there's been something I've wanted to say for a while. Back when you said that line of yours to me."

'_One day, I want to do something about that hatred of yours!'_

"I want you to know how much that line pissed me off!" Naruto's face faulted at the genuine anger from the beast. "But, I was also relieved, after I thought about it. And when you told me that I was a fellow Konoha ally and released me, it showed your trust in me. I'm asking you, once more, to trust me."

Naruto bit his lip and looked down, but glanced up firmly at the beast and nodded. He felt Kurama smile warmly at the boy, before the warmth from the beast started to vanish. "Don't worry. I'll leave you with enough to finish this!"

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto felt his body weaken to a point beyond exhaustion that worried the boy. Limply, the boy picked up his head and peered ahead. It required all of his strength to keep from passing out.

In the din, he saw the Nine-Tailed Fox by himself, once more. His right eye was controlled by the Mangekyo, but the blonde saw that his left eye was still the Fox's own. The Statue had approached the Fox and opened its mouth, once again. The vacuum from the mouth slowly began to engulf the energy of the Fox.

At the last moment, Kurama whipped out a tail and snatched the ribcage protecting its former master. Madara's eyes twitched in annoyance for the first time since the battle started. "Release me!"

"Wrong, Madara!" Kurama roared angrily. "The new era has no need for either of us! It's time we disappeared." Madara growled, but he appeared taxed from the usage of so many jutsu in such a short time. The Statue swallowed both the Fox and the Uchiha easily.

The Statue released its grasp on its head, its arms falling limply to the side and its eyes gleam fading. The growth of the veil on the Moon halted, but had not vanished. The Spiral of Chakra only grew with more energy in it to continue pouring the energy into the Moon.

Naruto pushed himself up, using all of his strength.

"The Statue…it's unguarded…"

He limped forward to his target, his vision blurred.

"We can end it…right here…"

He held up his right hand and the beginnings of a ball of rotating energy formed within it.

"This War…"

The ball in his hand dissipated as Naruto fell at the feet of the Statue.

Instead of solid ground, however, he felt the stiffness of a muscular physique catch him on his shoulder.

"You're right, Naruto…" a deep, young voice said. "We can end this."

Naruto recognized that voice.

He picked his head up and glanced to the side of him as he was lowered to the ground gently.

"Sasuke…!"

The purple-coated Uchiha approached the statue and gently placed his hand on it, looking back at his former friend.

"However, Naruto…"

"…Sasuke?"

"…the path the Uchiha took was not wrong."

His eyes flashed black-and-red into his Mangekyo Sharingan. The ear-piercing shriek of the Statue resumed, its eyes shaping into the same as its controllers. The spiral of energy resumed and redness consumed the moon. A swirl contorted on the moon, and multiple teardrop-shaped tomoe symbols appeared on it.

"Sasuke…No…"

_Infinite Tsukuyomi_

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto's gaze returned to the perpetual darkness and chill that spread before him.

"So…that's it…we lose, huh?" Naruto closed his eyes. "Sakura-chan…Kakashi-sensei…everyone…is this how it ends…?"

_"Kai!"_

Naruto felt the chill suddenly vanish. His mind became light, then dark again, as he felt his mind return to his body.

Naruto groaned lightly slowly shaking his head. He opened his eye gently and then flinched with the bright red light before him. He gingerly opened his eyes again. At the edge of his vision, he saw the silhouette of a person that seemed extremely familiar to him.

A few more blinks got his vision to focus after being asleep for such a time, when he saw that the figure before him was the same one that activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

"Sasuke…!?"

The genin noticed that the teenager in front of him and, in fact, everything in view, had a noticeably red tint to it. He glanced up and saw an odd combination of the Rinnegan and Sharingan combined on the moon.

Naruto immediately shielded his eyes in fear that he would be consumed again by the light.

"Relax," Sasuke's calm voice told him. "Once freed from the Tsukuyomi, the person cannot be affected by it, again." He offered a hand to the boy.

Naruto relaxed a bit, though his limbs still tensed. He lightly took his hand and was lifted to his feet by his friend. The Uchiha turned from the boy and began to walk to a nearby cliff and waterfall. "Sasuke…you had a chance to end this…a chance to end the war…why did you activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

"Like I said, Naruto, the path the Uchiha took was not wrong." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder. His Mangekyo was still activated, but Naruto noticed that the missing-nin looked extremely weary.

"We're going to end this, Naruto, at the place where it all began." He gestured behind him.

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth gaped. "This is…!"

"The Valley of the End."

**XXXXXXXXX**

**Next time: The Origin of the Path**

_Yearning alone is not enough at all, for the back of that someone I'm desperately running for. Before these overflowing tears go ahead and dry up, let me reach out this hand and go further onward._


	2. The Origin of the Path

_There once was a time when we were so close, but now dusk is already a different color._

**Chapter 2: The Origin of the Path**

Haruno Sakura felt her lips twist into a grimace as she grit her teeth to regain some of her senses in her head. An overwhelming icy chill rushed past her, producing goose bumps on her arms and causing a shiver run up her spine.

'A cold chill…?' she mused, slowly opening her eyes. A massive darkness spread over her view, making it difficult to see anything at all. 'Is it…night…?' Her vision was blurred, which caused her to not believe what she was seeing, so she blinked her eyes a few more times. It wasn't night out. It was just a vast expanse of blackness, as far as the eye could see.

The shroud wasn't the only thing she noticed. It was as if her hearing had been swiped from her, as well. That was what she determined, at least. No sound, at all, entered the cavity in her head.

The pink-haired girl suddenly felt her heart rate increase in urgency. 'What's going on? Why can't I see or hear anything?' A light suddenly flashed in front of her. A vision of the moon showering a bright red light down upon the world appeared in her mind's eye. The moon had upon it markings that had the noticeable teardrop tomoe from the Sharingan but also had a spiral she had never seen before.

No…she had seen the spiral before…

"…Pain's eyes?" she wondered aloud. "An eye in the Moon…but…that would mean that…"

She sensed more than saw another presence approach her. The aura given off by the individual revealed himself to be her sensei from her genin years. "Infinite Tsukuyomi…Madara's Master Plan has taken fruit."

"Kakashi-sensei!?"

"Hello, Sakura," the teacher stated weakly, but warmly. He sounded like something was wrong.

"Sensei? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just a little tired from the battle," the silver-haired man informed her. "But it would appear that we failed to stop the Eye of the Moon Plan." She gave him an inquisitive look. "The plan was to cast a Tsukuyomi genjutsu on every on the planet from the Moon."

"He's trying to control the world!?"

The older man retreated back to his mind. 'Obito…we couldn't stop the Eye of the Moon Plan.'

She felt the aura from her teacher diminish slightly. "Sensei!" she cried, worried his spirit was weakening.

It fired back to its original parameters immediately after. "Just thinking, Sakura," he assured her.

She exhaled gladly. "But…how did you find me?"

She felt an inquiring gaze fall upon her. "I'm…not really sure, myself," he informed the teen. "I just extended my senses until I felt something similar to your aura."

"You can sense Chakra?"

"It wasn't like your Chakra, so much as your personality."

"Sakura-san…!" a higher-pitched female voice squealed. Sakura felt a gentle warmth appear next to her, followed by several other similar sensations from her other friends. The kunoichi immediately knew what her sensei meant. It was the feelings she got whenever she visited or had fun with them. The warmth, feelings, and memories they provoked.

"Hinata-san!" Sakura exclaimed. "Ino! Everyone!" She noticed many more auras appear around her, though it was apparent most of them were not focused on her so much as looking for people they knew. The atmosphere had also warmed up some, though she still felt like she should have some kind of a jacket on her body to heat her up.

"Are you ok?" she sensed the platinum blonde question. "It took us a while to find you."

"Sorry," Sakura breathed anxiously. "I'm just…not used to whatever…this is."

She then realized there was one more sensation she wasn't feeling; a certain fiery aura that could always boost the morale of all of his friends and any allies around him.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura whispered.

"I know," he murmured. "I've been trying to locate Naruto's aura, as well. I thought he might be closer to me than you were, but I can't get a lock on him."

"Naruto?" Sakura felt Shikamaru question. "He couldn't…"

"Idiot!" she her blonde best friend reprimand. "Don't think of such things."

"No…" a gentle voice stated.

"Hinata-san…" Sakura motioned to try and calm her.

"No…I mean…I don't think…I don't think Naruto-kun's gone," she stated firmly. "I believe he's still here. We just have to find him."

The pink-haired medic was stunned by the lavender-haired girl's determination, but smiled warmly. "That's right! He's too thick-headed to die so easily!" An encouraging friendliness emanated from the girl, and seemed to inspire the rest standing around here.

"That's not the only aura that's missing, though," Kakashi informed them.

"What do you mean?"

"…I don't think I feel Sasuke around, either," he warily noted. That aroused murmurs from the crowd of friends around them.

"What's going on…?" Sakura wondered aloud.

As if in response to her question, a deep, hollow voice began to echo throughout the area around the ninja and other people standing nearby. _"Relax. Once freed from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a person cannot be affect by it, again." _

"Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura shouted exasperatedly.

_"Sasuke…you had a chance to end this…a chance to end the war…why did you activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"_

"Naruto…?" the pink-haired ninja realized.

"But…where are they?"

Again, in response to her question, the blackness above the populace began to ripple in multiple places. In each ripple, a part of a scene appeared. As the ripple spread, the scenes grew until they began to join and encompass much of the horizon.

The scene projected a night-time view of a valley though there was a noticeably reddish hue to the scene. Reflecting from the water, the group noticed that an orb was floating in the direction they were coming from. What should have been the moon, however, appeared reddish-orange from a solar eclipse. The "moon", though, now had a spiral on it and multiple black tomoe on it.

"Is that the Moon?" Chouji exclaimed loudly.

"It's projecting us onto The Valley of the End…"Kakashi analyzed.

They raced closer to two people who were now standing next to the lagoon at the bottom of the waterfall. One was clad in a purplish-blue uniform with the unique red-and-white fan of the Uchiha. One was in a trademark black-and-orange jumpsuit too big for his body to wear. The Uchiha had his back to the shinobi behind him.

"Sasuke-kun and Naruto?" Ino inquired.

Sai growled next to her sternly. "But…what's going on? What're they doing?"

The pink-haired kunoichi felt a pit grow in her stomach. "And why can we hear all of them?"

_"Naruto,"_ the missing-nin regarded, turning to face the man. _"This is a fight to end the fighting."_

**XXXXXXXXX**

The blonde raised an inquisitive brow. "A fight to end the fighting? What the hell are you talking about?"

Sasuke turned to the side, his body facing the lagoon, but his head turned to the waterfall and the two shinobi. He bent down and picked up a straw flower that seemed like it had started to wilt, either from the nightfall of the dark aura of the ninja standing next to him. He held the flower in front of him. "How do you think this world was created, Naruto?"

The blonde shinobi stayed silent. "Most people believe the world started from one. One cell. One organism." He plucked a leaf from the stamen. "From one, came two. And those two made four. Then eight. And so on, until the world was teeming with life." He plucked all of the flower petals and released them into the wind.

"Because so much life was created, however, naturally there was competition." The petals in the wind brushed against each other, a few even fell into the lake next to them. "The world has been trying to compete. Humans. Plants. Animals. The world has limited resources for all organisms. There has been a constant struggle to gain access to these resources. Some people have realized this and have tried to maintain a status quo. They have done this with treaties and their ninjutsu to help promote peace and life. But they have done this by trying to keep everything equal; keep everything at one. And it stems from the belief that the world started at one.

"But, that is completely incorrect," He crumpled the flower stem in the palm of his hand. "The world did not start at one. It started at zero."

"What are you trying to say?" Naruto questioned vigorously.

"The people now are trying to create something new by building atop of something old," Sasuke stated directly. "They look to the past to build the future. But they do it by trying to keep the past intact. The same, old, dilapidated foundation upon which their continuous mistakes have been made continues to exist. To build something new, you have to eliminate that decrepit foundation. You have to destroy the old before you completely rebuild something new."

The blonde's eyes widened. "You don't mean…!"

Sasuke turned to face his former Team 7 comrade. "I've begun the process by eliminating the old foundation of this world." The genin's eyes flashed violent rage at his friend standing across from him. "The minds and spirits of the people of this world have been separated from their bodies and sent into the Moon."

"Infinite Tsukuyomi…" the ninja whispered. "…You killed them…?"

"In a manner of speaking; they are all experiencing the coldness and solitude of death." With each word, the shinobi felt anger build up inside of him. "Right now, they can interact with one another and sense each other. But they can't touch anyone. They can only feel chill. If they stay in the Tsukuyomi for 12 hours, they'll begin to lose touch with each other. They will lose their memories of everything slowly. And then, yes…" A wry smirk plastered on the teen's face. "…they will die."

Naruto charged forward with swift ferocity and tackled the former Konoha ninja, thrusting a fist into his cheek. A small splattering of blood smacked the ground. The boy's face had been turned to the side, a little stream of blood leaking out of the Uchiha's mouth. He slowly turned his head back to the blonde shinobi straddling his lower abdomen.

"Why? You could kill Kakashi-sensei…" he grimaced. The black-haired boy said nothing.

"Sakura-chan…" Still, no response.

"The entire world…every living person…" The cold, empty eyes stared back at the blonde. "Don't you even care?" None of this garnered a reaction from the teenage missing-nin. "Say something, dammit!"

A strong grip wrapped around the teenage Konoha citizen's throat. Slowly, the Uchiha forced Naruto back as he sat up, then stood up to his full height, clenching down on the blonde's throat. "Sa…suke…!"

The boy released his opponent, causing him to breathe deeply and step away from the Uchiha. "You want to know why?" Naruto looked up at the owner of the deep voice. "I've met him…and now, I know the truth."

"Him…?"

**XXXXXXXXX**

The black-haired shinobi climbed the last step on the massive staircase into the sky and saw his former mentor stall before him. The vast expanse appeared to be full of blue and clouds; what one might call heaven. The scenery had a false sensation about it, however. The aura was mysterious and heavy, pressuring the Uchiha's chest viciously, to the point that Sasuke had to exhale deeply to breath.

He thought it was the lack of air being so high up, but he noticed that, while Orochimaru seemed to have the same problem, Jugo and Suigetsu didn't seem to have any trouble.

"Orochimaru?" The man questioned, looking at him, as he turned around.

The snake-like visage of the Legendary Sannin turned to his ex-pupil and smirked. "Here he is," he gestured ahead, "The Sage of the Six Paths."

Sasuke's mouth opened slightly, but he shut it quickly. He advanced forward but stopped when he realized that his mentor wasn't moving. "Aren't you coming?"

"No, the Old Sage is rather…annoyed when he gets more than one visitor," the snake sage said. "Besides, my time is almost up, anyway. I was only around long enough to lead you and your comrades up here."

The two members of Taka glanced at each other and then at Sasuke. "I think we'll hang back, as well," the shark-teethed Suigetsu stated. "We'll just see you when you're done." Jugo nodded firmly.

Sasuke's brow furrowed at them, but he said nothing and turned towards the pearl gates in front of him. They slowly opened enough for him to step through. When he entered the chamber, however, a vastly different scenery opened before him. It appeared to be a dark, musty mausoleum. Torches on either side of the 'tomb' lit up and lighted the way before him, until a large number of them lit up on the back wall by a sarcophagus.

The missing-nin slowly approached, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls in the gigantic chamber. The closer he came, the more pressure was applied to his lungs to the point he started to become light-headed.

He stood before the coffin.

After a few quiet moments, a gem began to shine on the tomb and resonated painfully with Sasuke's eyes. They automatically switched to the black-and-red Mangekyo Sharingan state. His hand rose to his eyes. He grunted in pain as he rubbed his temples to relax the tension that had gathered in his eyes.

A sound like a beam caused the shinobi to glance through his fingers. The Sharingan symbol was projected onto the ceiling above from the gem that resonated with Sasuke's eyes. Through the beam, a transparent silhouette appeared that looked like a hologram from a projector used in his Academy days. His outfit was white with black sleeves. Red tomoe with a black circle in the center of teardrop lined his collar. A sword that resembled Sasuke's Kusanagi was sheathed on the man's back. The fabled shinobi had black hair spiked in the front and middle to a smooth down in the back, lightly lapping his shoulders.

His eyes opened and revealed the purple Rinnegan. Sasuke felt his eyes peer at him; _through_ him. Inspecting his very soul, as if to see his true worth and value. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Ah, you've finally found my tomb, eh?" Sasuke marveled at how just his calm, sensible voice had distilled the tension in the room. His voice seemed both reverent and informal.

"You…"

"Yes, I am the Sage of the Six Paths; the one who started both the Senju and the Uchiha clans, the latter of which, I would guess, you belong to," the sage stated. "I would recognize that dojutsu, anywhere. It's so much like my Rinnegan."

The black-haired ninja's face fell. The old man had a rather recent way of speaking, for such an old shinobi. He raised his eyebrow. "Are you…really the Sage of Six Paths."

"I'm guessing you're here because you're going through with your plan," the hologram stated. Sasuke's brow furrowed. "The Eye of the Moon Plan."

"Eye of the Moon…?"

"Use the Ten-Tailed Beast I sealed in the Moon to project the Infinite Tsukuyomi. It's what my Elder Son came up with when I created the two clans. It's also why I delegated my Younger Son as my successor. It was an excellent plan for peace, but it would harm far too many people."

"I've never even heard of this plan," Sasuke vehemently denied.

"Ah? Is that so?" The Uchiha's glare darkened. "You seem to be withholding much hatred and vengeance. Why is that?" No response from the Uchiha. "So, then it happened…the descendants of my Elder Son have almost completely passed on."

The Uchiha's eyes flashed violently. "I predicted such an event. I delegated my dojutsu and my talents in ninjutsu to his descendants, but even from the beginning, I sensed a great deal of anger and violence in him. He was always extremely analytical, but more prone to action than words. It amazed me how strong he was, yet how infantile he could truly be."

Sasuke breathed deeply. "Tell me about their descendants. I'm guessing the Uchiha came from the Elder Son; and the Younger…"

The hologram eyed him warily. The Uchiha felt the return of the heavy pressure upon his chest. "The Senju clan, of course." Sasuke's gaze held steadfast under the weight of the man's eyes. "The meaningless battles you have been having with your friend…Uzumaki Naruto, was it...? It's been occurring and reoccurring since the beginning of time for shinobi. Of course, your brother, Itachi realized this, but he failed in stopping it. You think you've been doing something different, but all you've really done is repeat the sad history of the Senju/Uchiha rivalry."

Sasuke felt his gaze drop for the first time to the ground. "Repeat…the history?" He clenched his fists. "Meaningless…?" He felt the return of the Sage's gaze upon him. "Tell me."

"Hmm?"

"The origin of this rivalry…" His eyes returned to the Sage. "I'll determine for myself whether or not it's 'meaningless'."

Again, the Sage stared through him, scanning his soul again. A wry smirk spread across his visage after a moment. "Very well, then."

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the teenager in front of him, explaining all of this information to him. "In the beginning, the Sage had two sons. To the Elder, he gave his 'eyes'…his spiritual power and ninjutsu. To the younger, he left his 'body'…his powerful will and physical prowess. The Sage taught both sons about his hope for peace and his desire for them to 'find the key' in the war torn period. Both sought to carry out his wish.

"Both set off on different paths, though. The Elder Son sought power, the strength to defeat those who would fight against peace. Power was the key. He looked to learn all of the ninjutsu his father had. He is the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan…my clan.

"The Younger Brother, however, sought for love as his key to peace. He trained his mind, but his will was what touched the minds and hearts of his followers. The Younger son was the ancestor to the Senju Clan…those related by blood to the Uzumakis; to you." Naruto's eyes widened at this declaration. Sasuke turned full on the teenager.

"Both Sons returned to their Father on his deathbed, but he could only designate one as his true successor. He saw what both his Sons had done, and, in the end, chose his Younger Son as the successor to his ideals.

"The Elder Brother was enraged. How could his Father disgrace him so by selecting the Younger Son as his heir? Especially with how powerful the Older Son had become. In a rage, the Uchiha ancestor attacked his younger brother and fought in an epic fight. Sword and stave clashed in an epic fight that ravaged the countryside. In the end, there wasn't a clear victor, but the two brothers severed their ties and went on their separate paths, each believing in themselves to the bitter end.

"This was the first battle between Uchiha and Senju. The first of many, as the Clans grew and became the two most renowned mercenary Clans for the warring states. Each side always hired one group or the other and the opponent would hire the remaining group. They never sided one on one."

Sasuke chuckled hollowly, closing his eyes. "It's a wonder…if the two ancestors knew how their first battle would end up only tearing the world away from their Father's will…would they have fought, in the first place. No…maybe the blame lies with the Sage choosing one side over the other, in the first place."

Naruto grimaced. "Sasuke…"

The black-haired Uchiha opened his eyes. "This story isn't over. The two groups fought continuously…escalating the wars and destroying most of the land before they would be finished. Eventually, people on both sides feared the worst…the end of both clans. Two leaders arose and they agreed to end the conflict; Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.

"Their agreement became the foundation for the creation of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Many people were swayed by the charisma of Hashirama Senju and he was elected as the First Hokage of Konoha. Both sides still searched for peace. But, like oil and water, Madara and Hashirama could not work together. Madara, believing that the Village would end up being a deterrent to keep the Uchiha under wraps, tried to convince the Uchiha to break the agreement. But the Uchiha, their minds still fresh on the recent wars, would not listen. So, taking his brother's eyes, Madara went into self-exile.

"He didn't stop searching for peace, and he created the Eye of the Moon Plan. The Eye of the Moon Plan was the Ultimatum of the Uchiha; the last desperate plea from Madara to gain peace in the world. However, before Madara could finish preparations, Hashirama caught wind of his grand scheme and went to stop him. In an epic battle, the Valley of the End was created. Like their ancestors, a clear victor was not determined, but Madara was believed to have been killed. He escaped with Hashirama's DNA, but he lost his major prizes, the Chakra Beasts, to Hashirama in exchange for his life."

"The Chakra Beasts…?" the blonde remembered the gigantic Demonic Statue of Six Paths. "Had he gathered them in that?"

Sasuke nodded firmly. "The Chakra Beasts are vital to the realization of the Eye of the Moon. They are one of the three Keys to the Plan."

"Three Keys?"

"Let's continue," the Uchiha insisted. "While Madara plotted in the shadows to reintroduce his plan, Hashirama, in encouraging his love for peace, gave away the Chakra Beasts to neighboring Shinobi Villages via treaties and to use them as deterrents for war between the villages." The black-clothed missing-nin scoffed. "All it did was create more ways for the Villages to battle each other.

"Age slowly crept upon Madara and it became apparent that he would need to soon find his own successor. He would find one in the most unlikely of sources; just as Madara and his own brother, Izuna, causing a fracture in their clan, the Senju clan had their own split between brothers. Though he promoted the 'Will of Fire' that the Senju Clan inherited from their ancestor, Senju Tobirama lost faith in his clan's ideals. Tobirama became the 'diversion' for his students, including the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, escape the Cloud Ninja during the First Shinobi World War.

"He had planned on dying in that battle, but Madara unexpectedly reappeared and helped to defeat the ninja and saved Tobirama's life. Tobirama, in order to repay his savior, became the First 'Tobi', the unofficial successor to Madara's eye of the Moon. Madara, passing on his will to Tobi, passed away believing his plan would succeed.

"However, it became apparent that a visual jutsu was necessary to activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi and complete the Eye of the Moon. After passing down his will through rogue Uchiha searching for Madara, the ability was finally passed down to Uchiha Obito, who was the Fourth Tobi. Obito agreed to become the newest Tobi after seeing the suffering wars caused to people and believed that the Eye of the Moon Plan was the quickest way to end battles."

"Obito…" Naruto grimaced, sorrowfully looking at the ground. 'Kakashi-sensei…' The blonde mused over the information given by the Uchiha and realized he hadn't told him everything. "How come you decided to be a part of their Plan? You weren't focused on 'destiny', before, so why now?"

Sasuke eyed the blonde genin and chuckled darkly at him. "Why do I want the Eye of the Moon Plan to succeed?" the Uchiha inquired. "Completing this Plan would be the Ultimate Revenge. It would be the Ultimate Revenge against Konoha, who killed my family because those in charge feared the Uchiha were looking to recreate Madara's ideals. It would be the Ultimate Revenge against the Senju Clan who viewed themselves righteous simply because some Sage from decades earlier decided they were. It would be the Ultimate Revenge because the fools in both Clans ended up just stalling the belief of the Sage of Six Paths; the belief for peace."

"But this Eye Plan has no meaning, at all!" Naruto contended. "You're risking the chance that the entire world dies simply because they haven't found the path to peace, yet? The shinobi on this planet have united and are fighting under one banner to protect this world! What you're doing, now, is meaningless!"

"It is _not_ meaningless!" Sasuke roared. "Naruto, the shinobi may, indeed, be united under one banner, but they have seen the dark side of the world. War, disease, death, depravity, desolation, the shinobi live and exist through all of that. Why do they continue to fight? Because the people haven't lost the desire to do so. They keep competing over resources, money, and land. Some countries without shinobi villages have to hire other countries' ninja to fight for their own. Though this is the Fourth World War that people have seen, humanity hasn't changed at all! And that is the purpose of the Eye of the Moon Plan.

"There are Three Keys:

To seal the Tailed Beasts inside the Demonic Statue of the Six Paths and use that Chakra to revive the Ten-Tailed Beast sealed within the moon.

To unlock the seal and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi using the Ten-Tails, a dojutsu is necessary, typically the Rinnegan or the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, sealing the minds and spirits of most of the people on the planet.

Two shinobi of equal strength, one from the Uchiha Clan and one of the Senju Clan, will do battle to the death, allowing the people sealed by the genjutsu from the moon to see the horrors of battle and the emotions of two people fighting to the death. This would allow everyone to see the horrors of war and understand the necessity of peace.

"But, Sasuke…I consider you my friend!" the blonde growled. "I'm not gonna fight you for something as stupid as 'destiny' or because some Sage has told you the history of the world."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Naruto…what was it that you told me the last time we fought?" The blonde's eyes widened, as he saw the killing aura from the Uchiha heir starting to billow out from his body. "If I attacked Konoha, we would fight, you would bear the burden of my hate, and we would die together. Well, here I am. This is all of my hatred, Naruto; enough to kill everyone on this planet."

The blonde raised an arm to shield himself from the overwhelming Chakra. "Sasuke…!"

"Regardless of the reason…whether they were right or wrong…they killed my entire Clan. There's no way I can let something as insignificant as a 'friend' get in my way at this point. If you don't fight, everyone will die thanks to the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"

**XXXXXXXXX**

**Next Time: The Path of Sorrow**

_In the boundary line of light and shadow, I searched for the lost dream. One more time, release oneself to that place. _


	3. The Path of Sorrow

_While we looked up at the gazing sky, I said 'We'll keep going on even if we part with tomorrow.' _

**Chapter 3: The Path of Sorrow**

The black-haired Uchiha swiftly lunged at Naruto, withdrawing his sword and in one smooth arc sliced at the blonde shinobi. Naruto leapt backwards at the last moment, barely missing the tip of Sasuke's Kusanagi. Gliding through the air, he realized he was about to land in the lagoon they stood next to and focused his Chakra to his feet accordingly. Hid late apprehension of the technique caused him to slip on his landing due to the fluid motion of the water's surface, so the blonde did a hand spring into a backflip to land on his feet.

The missing-nin didn't waste any motion, continuing his assault. He dashed forth and brought his sword forward again, slashing at the blonde from multiple angles. The Konoha genin ducked, spun, leapt, and dodged every way he could to avoid the multiple angles it came from.

Still hesitant to fight his friend, Naruto had yet to draw any sort of weapon with which to attack or guard with, preferring to continue avoiding the deadly strikes from Sasuke's blade. With each strike, he could sense the killing intent from the former member of Team Seven upon him, but he refused to let this realization deter him from figuring out a way to end the battle swiftly and painlessly.

'I'm still exhausted from the battle with Tobi and Madara and from losing…' He gently placed his hand upon his stomach. 'If I want to win, I'll have to find a way to end this quickly…but…' He glanced at the opponent grimly. '…this battle is…'

When the genin dodge the fourth fury of sword slashes, he noticed that he had closed in on the waterfall, backed into a corner by the Uchiha's relentless attack. Sasuke stalled for a moment, instead sticking his arm with his sword out to his side. A grim smirk spread across his facial features as electricity pulsed from his arm into his weapon.

Understanding his friend's new tactic, Naruto used his Chakra to help him leap up from the water. The Uchiha sliced at the ground, discharging the electricity into the lagoon and guiding it across the surface to the foot of the First Hokage's mountainside statue. Naruto landed deftly onto the statue, changing the focus and force of his Chakra to stick to the stone, and watched as the lightning stalled momentarily at the base of the figure.

Suddenly, it began to dart up the leg of the monument, encroaching upon the blonde genin. Wide-eyed, Naruto raced away from the lightning up the shin and knee of the co-founder of Konohagakure.

A moment later he felt a presence appear beside him.

"Hey, hey," he heard a violent voice admonish, "is this all that you are, Uzumaki Naruto?"

The Konoha ninja rotated his head to his left and saw the foreboding visage of the Uchiha. "I'm being completely serious in my attacks! If you don't start getting it together, I may just end up killing you." He rotated his body and thrust a heel kick into the genin's gut and kicked him away from the stone sculpture and up the cliff.

Naruto grimaced at the stiff shot to his abdomen but crossed his index and middle fingers together and created a pair of Shadow Clones in midair. Grabbing each of his arms, the Shadow Clones threw the blonde back towards the mountainside. Curling into a ball, the blonde landed on his feet and stuck to the statue, catching his breath in the lull of the battle.

He glanced down at his friend, his brow knit in frustration. Sasuke's visage, meanwhile, remained empty and callous.

Sasuke brought his blade up onto his shoulder. "You're not intent on taking this as seriously as last time, huh?"

"I don't plan to risk my life on something as stupid as your idea of a fight leading to peace!" Naruto challenged.

"This battle will lead directly _to_ peace," the Uchiha reiterated. "The people will see their foolishness of trying to just downplay old rivalries and competitions and finally stop trying to outdo each other. Are you telling me that one or both of us dying is stupid, if it leads to the peace of an entire planet?"

"You say one or two deaths don't matter?" Naruto countered. "You should know better than _anyone_ how just one life can affect a person! You lost your entire clan. You trained to defeat your brother for over a decade! If it weren't for Kakashi-sensei, you may have lost your chance to be a shinobi."

Sasuke stared at the ex-jinchuriki above him hollowly, before opening his mouth to reply. "I've seen a lot of death in my lifetime. A few more won't hurt."

The blonde ground his teeth in annoyance at the answer and closed his eyes. Visions of people crying, dying, and sacrificing themselves raced passed his mind's eye, causing the rage within him to slowly build up. "I've seen the despair from this war. I've seen ero-sennin die. I've seen the destruction of a city and the death of many innocent people when Pain invaded Konoha. All of them…every last one of these plans to bring peace through destruction…has _never_ worked!"

It was Sasuke's turn to narrow his brow at the former friend. "Do you even know what happened when you left the village and it felt like you died!?" The Uchiha kept his black-and-red gaze even. "You left a young girl in tears of grief…a father-figure depressed that he couldn't keep his son from falling…and a brother in arms upset at losing his best friend.

"One life is worth a hell of a lot more than you're giving it credit for! I can't imagine how my life would be without any one of the people I've met and gotten to know along the way. And you're going to stand there and have the nerve to tell me they don't matter!? That's why I keep telling you this battle is unnecessary! And it's why I refuse to fight it!"

A long pause filled the empty space between the two shinobi. The tension between them became palpable, causing small static strikes to flicker as their wills clashed against one another, both keeping their eyes firmly upon one another.

Finally, the Uchiha chuckled softly and lowered his scrutiny, slightly. Sheathing Kusanagai, he brought his hands together and performed a flurry of hand signs, bringing up his right hand with a pair of his fingers hooked to just in front of his face.

"_Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu~!"_ As the Uchiha blew into the semi-circle he had formed, a massive fireball formed in front him and raged forth towards the genin.

**XXXXXXXXX**

The people of the planet watched as the black-and-orange clad ninja noticeably gulped and skipped aside from the massive sphere of flame that threatened to overwhelm him. A few more fireballs launched up the side of the Hokage's body and into the sky, dispersing harmlessly after passing several yards above the Valley of the End.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura murmured, sadly. "Naruto…"

Hinata's presence next to Sakura softened a bit at the depressed tone of her friend. "Why…?" she breathed, catching everyone's attention. "…why did this have to degenerate to a death match between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun? It's…too sad…"

A muffled sob escaped a platinum blonde aura on the ground next to the rosette. "Naruto's right…" Ino stated through her uneasy breaths. "This is a battle that shouldn't be allowed to happen. They need to both stop."

"I don't think they can," Sai informed the group. "Or they don't want to."

Shikamaru grunted in agreement. "The only ones who can stop are those two. But you can all feel their emotions, too, right?" He felt a wave of understanding run through their minds. "Naruto wants to stop the fight, but he can't without losing his life. But Sasuke..."

A violent vision appeared where the battle had once been projected. It showed two young shinobi standing in the middle of a lake. A black-haired ninja in a blue uniform and cargo shorts and the unmistakable red-and-black Sharingan held a young blonde-haired boy in a bright orange jumpsuit much-too big to fit on his small frame was held by the throat. In the first shinobi's right hand, blue electricity pulsated vociferously as he smarmily grinned at the half-conscious child in his grasp.

A flash and a sickening tear later, the black-haired shinobi ripped his hand through the boy's abdomen. If not for a last-minute reaction from the near-lifeless blonde ninja, the electrified hand would have pierced right through the heart of the boy. Red blood seeped over the black-haired shinobi's wrist and hand and out the back of the boy as the image slowly dissipated from view.

A chilling silence fell upon the Konoha Eleven and their mentors who watched the hollow image. The thick red ooze flowing from the wide hole in the Uzuzmaki's chest. The hideous grin plastered on the face of the Uchiha. It was a frightening image that many had surmised, but was much more disturbing to see.

"Sasuke-kun would…" Sakura's quivering voice began. Her mind reeling with visions of Naruto being wrapped head-to-toe and the battles between the two in Orochimaru's lair and at the Samurai Bridge. Her throat filled with a lump and her voice turned quiet and hoarse. "Sasuke-kun would kill Naruto…and he would do it without so much as blinking."

"Sasuke is, sadly, one of many victims who have been developed by the times," the jounin informed the former Konoha Eleven members. "The history of repeated accumulating hatred has created this Sasuke." Sakura felt the sensation of her teacher fall upon her. "You saw it, too. Remember, Sakura?" The girl remembered the angrily broken man that had tried to kill all the members of Team Seven at the Samurai Bridge. She couldn't keep her gaze forward at the blistering images flashing in her head.

A dark but warm persona suddenly made its presence known, followed by a pair of similarly strong feelings. "Sasuke would definitely kill Naruto," a raspy voice intoned next to them. "There's no denying that."

"Kazekage-sama…Kankurou-san…Temari-san…"

"Distrust. Deception. Violence. Death. Despair," the Leader of Sunagakure listed. "All of these are objects a shinobi must fight to protect their lands. But, many times, what they use to fight these items are used as tools to fight with. Until Sasuke releases that hatred of his, he'll never return to Konoha, even if he's forcibly brought back."

"But…" the rosette kunoichi interjected softly but steadily, "But Naruto knows that. He understands the pure hatred and loneliness Sasuke is using to fight with, right now. That's why, right now, he's searching for a way to release Sasuke from that hatred of his."

Gaara exhaled in acknowledgement. "He does. He released me from my Darkness. It's why I don't understand, back at the Kage Summit, how Sasuke lost his way, with someone like Naruto and friends like you and Kakashi-san there."

"You're not the only one he's helped to find light in the darkness, either," Kakashi reminded them. "Momochi Zabuza and Haku…Pain from Akatsuki…Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama…all of Konoha, no, even those of other nations, have been touched and influenced by the feelings and dreams that Naruto has vowed and stood to represent. If he's helped so many, a lot of them strangers, I find it hard to believe that he'd just let Sasuke remain in shadow."

Surprisingly, warm memories of the blonde-haired Number One Unpredictable Ninja rose into everyone's minds. Sakura, however, felt her aura wilt faintly. "I believe in him," she firmly announced. 'But…what will be left of Naruto after this?'

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"_ A barrage of small flames flew from the mouth of the Uchiha and flew at the blonde target. Naruto dipped, ducked, and rolled away from the miniature fireballs. Each began to crash into the lake at the top of the Valley, creating a thin steam over the battlefield.

The blonde wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. 'Has it gotten more humid…?' He inhaled deeply and dropped to a knee to catch his breath during the short reprieve he received from his opponent.

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest and scoffed at the blonde ex-jinchuriki. "I know you have more in you than this," the Uchiha growled. "Do you plan to just keep running away from me?"

The genin gulped. "I already told you, I refuse to fight you in such a meaningless battle." His gaze rose up to the moon, then returned to his Team Seven compatriot. "If you release the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I'll finish my battle with you."

The boy lowered his arms and turned his wide eyes upon the blonde shinobi and a scornful chortle escaped the missing-nin's lips. "That is not an option."

The Konoha ninja's brow furrowed at the declaration. "Why is that not an option?"

"I already told _you_, this is a fight to end the fighting. The only way that can happen is if the entire world views this fight." He coughed a laugh at the exasperated gaze his blonde opponent was giving him. "I couldn't stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi, at this point, even if I wanted to.

"If it'll give you the energy to fight, I'll reveal to you the secret to disabling the Infinite Tsukuyomi." He gingerly placed his left hand on his right eye, glibly staring through his fingers at his unyielding enemy. "If you noticed, through this entire fight, my right eye hasn't shut once. The power of any Tsukuyomi is used through eye contact via the right eye of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Like all Tsukuyomi, the Infinite Tsukuyomi resonates with the right eye and puts a continuous strain on it. Because of this, I can't use either Tsukuyomi or Susano'o. If it's forcibly shut, though, the Infinite Tsukuyomi will deactivate. However, Naruto…" A wry smirk grew upon the man's face as he slid his hand drop to his side. "…it's not as if I'm going to _let_ you do that."

After several tense moments, the ninja closed his eyes and rose to his full height. His hand slipped into his ninja pouch and withdrew a kunai dagger. He twirled the blade counter-clockwise on his index finger three times and then clenched his fist around it in a reverse position to prepare to enter a fight between blades.

Sasuke allowed a smile to grace his lips as he saw the blonde's Chakra begin to become razor sharp. "Finally ready to enter battle," he indicated more than questioned.

"Let me be clear, Sasuke," the blonde Team Seven member announced with a fierce glower, "I'm fighting only to get my friend back and release the genjutsu in the moon. I refuse to die. And…I refuse to kill you." A small smile spread across Naruto's face, though the edge from his gaze never wavered, and they both charged straight at each other.

Kusanagi clanged against kunai. Naruto reflected the blade away from his body, using the abnormal curve of his weapon. A few more clangs and sparks between the blades rang out, before the two clashed furiously.

The strength of Sasuke and his blade slowly began to overwhelm the genin. He placed his opposite hand onto his biceps to support his strength. Even still, Sasuke in terms of pure strength began to push Naruto back. The blonde thrust a leg out to his ankle to trip him. Sasuke leapt up and brought his Kusanagi charged with electricity down upon his opponent. Naruto took a swift step back then rammed his shoulder into the Uchiha, forcing him to take a few steps back.

The blonde ninja raced forward, kunai in hand, and jabbed it forward towards Sasuke's right hand. The black-haired shinobi noticed the attempt at to disarm him and brought his blade forward to repel the kunai. The lack of a lightning base allowed Naruto to block the blade, but knocked him off balance.

Swoosh.

Clang.

Whirr.

Clank.

Clink.

Whip.

Naruto leapt into the air and front flipped over the missing-nin. He back to hastily retreat away from the Chakra-infused blade. He launched a series of shuriken at the boy. A swift arc divided all of the projectiles in two and had them drop harmlessly onto the floor.

"I understand why you'd want revenge for your Clan, but the Shinobi World is moving towards peace. In the future, there'll be children who won't have seen war. Holding the world hostage isn't going to do anything but spread your hatred to others! Don't you have any dreams of the future?"

"Over and over, you keep asking me incessant questions about the future. You keep wondering if I'll return to Konoha. Then, you look for ways to get me to find a future to keep holding onto to. I have one goal and one goal only. I have no plans on looking past that!" The blonde's mouth widened. "In our last battle, I told you. These eyes of mine can't see into the future; they only see into the past!"

Naruto grit his teeth. "Are you…looking for a way to end the pain?" The Uchiha didn't reply. "Are you looking to die!?"

"I won't die," Sasuke calmly iterated, "at least not before I kill you!"

The blonde angrily growled at the boy's insistence. "Why…why do you have to be so damn miserable!?"

"It's the fate of those that have the Sharingan," Sasuke stated, "the fate of those who inherit the Curse of Hatred."

The blonde genin's gaze grew firm against the Konoha missing-nin's own Mangekyo Sharingan. "Why are you content being destiny's puppet, Sasuke?" That forced an inquiring eyebrow to appear on the Uchiha's face. "You always fought against such stupid suggestions as 'fate', so why are you playing Madara's toy, now?"

"What are you going on about?"

"I'm trying to ask what you want, Sasuke."

"On that, again, are we? Nothing's changed. I want revenge for Konoha eliminating my clan."

"Cut the crap! I'm not asking Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan! I'm asking you, the Former Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, what _you_ want!?"

A menacing scowl draped across the boy's visage. "Of the Uchiha Clan!? Of Konohagakure!? They're one and the same! As long as my clan's taint is cleansed through my vengeance, nothing else matters to me. And I will obliterate any roadblocks from my view with these eyes!"

His right eye flashed violently in the direction of the Konoha genin. The black-and-red Sharingan symbol swiftly rotated as it focused in on its target.

Naruto, for his part, sensed the area around him heat up instantaneously. Again, he performed the hand signs for his Shadow Clones, creating a squad of twelve. A few raced towards Sasuke in an attempt to disrupt his visual jutsu.

The eye's rotation stalled and a drop of blood slid down his cheek from his eye socket. _"Amaterasu~!"_

Nearly in an instant, the cadre of Clones that had been sent to charge the Uchiha evaporated as the black flames appeared on their bodies. Naruto and a pair of his clones used the remaining Clones to launch into the air, dodging another wave of black fire that appeared, devouring the Shadow Clones.

The black-haired missing-nin performed a series of hand signals. _"Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!"_ Over a dozen of massive fiery dragon heads appeared before the powerful shinobi and floated in midair. "Here, Naruto! Use your makeshift tactics to dodge this!" The Uchiha gestured forward. The serpents forged on, several racing straight at the blonde and the remaining clones while the others made their way above and below to force them into a pincer lock.

"Surrounded…" Naruto spat. "Only one way out of this, huh." He held out his right hand towards his doubles as they began to gather Chakra and combine it into a ball and mold the element from his Chakra. The explosive beasts began converging on their target en masse as the RasenShuriken began to take shape. A shrill bell toned the finish of the technique.

'Dammit…it's too unstable…!' His mind raced back to when he performed the move on the Akatsuki member Kakuzu. 'Am I unable to perfect this without my Nine-Tails or Sage Modes…!?'

He kicked off the two Clones a second before the vanished in a cloud of smoke and darted to the center of the group of fire-based jutsu. 'Only one shot…!' He thrust his right hand with the Chakra-infused shuriken forward into the first of the scorching flames. The combining of the Chakra elements - violent Fire and powerful Wind - contorted and created a swirling vortex of red and green that threatened to swallow most of the surrounding lagoon.

Naruto hurried to push himself from the oncoming dragon-techniques and the detonation. As the surrounding sweltering heat approached, the energy from the churning jutsus caused the atmosphere's temperature to increase tremendously. The warming temperatures began to rise into the sky, dragging with it the lower Dragon Flames and crashing into the higher Dragon Flames.

The series of collisions combined to explode in a brilliant light over the lake. The flare subsided but left a giant sphere of energy that gradually descended into the water. The density of the potent sphere parted the water at the surface, causing ripples from the center of the lagoon. The ripples grew and spawned small waves that lapped the land encompassing the water. The dispersing force layered against the two monuments to the co-Founders of Konohagakure and caused them to fracture and crumble.

Using the blast as propulsion, Naruto escaped with minimum damage from the residual attacks. He skidded along the lagoon on his back and was tossed onto the solid shore from the rapids. The blonde couldn't find his opponent and closed his eyes, allowing himself a few moments to recollect his wits. As he lay on his back, he watched the lagoon evaporate into steam that billowed into the air, fashioning a dense white veil. Liquid heat sprayed high into the air and cooled to air temperature before falling to the earth.

The energy finally diminished to nothingness.

Drops of rainwater fell onto the genin's face. He parted his eyes and lips to stare up at the dark sky. The beads were noticeably warmer than the average rain, but did little to blemish his skin. The cadence of the droplets intensified and started a full-blown cloudburst around the teen.

'…Storm clouds…?' the black-and-orange clad ninja mused. '…I can't even see the moon, anymore…'

Deciding it was time to prepare for the Uchiha's next attack, he rolled to his stomach and placed his hands down. As soon as he put pressure onto his right hand, however, a wrenching ache clambered up his arm. He released a grunt of pain as strength, ramming his shoulder into the ground.

After a moment of being facedown into the dirt, a whimpering chuckle exuded his trembling body. "…Dammit…" his raspy voice quivered. "I had forgotten how much that took out of me without throwing it…"

Putting almost all of the pressure on his good arm, this time, Naruto made a second attempt to lift himself off the ground. Standing on his feet in the rain, the blonde glumly looked up at the sky.

'The Curse of…Hatred, huh…?' he looked down at his right hand still tingling from the last attack. 'Sasuke…he's nothing like he was at the Samurai Bridge…he's only gotten better. Even without Tsukuyomi and Susano'o. But high-level shinobi are supposed to be able to talk through each other with their fists…but…' He clenched it, wincing at the pain that raced to his synapses. '…I can't feel anything from Sasuke's attacks…it's like…he's searching for…'

A dark snigger echoed through the steam and downpour, breaking Naruto from his reverie. The sneer appeared to come from all directions, not permitting the Konoha ninja to pinpoint its source. "It seems like that attack took a toll on you. It took you some time to recover from that."

"Sasuke…" the blonde ruefully breathed. He raised his voice for his next question. "What is the Curse of Hatred!?"

A long pause separated the question from the answer. "It's what we Uchiha inherited from the Sage of Six Paths and our ancestor; the burning desire to prove that we are the penultimate shinobi on this planet. It happened when the Sage chose the Senju ancestor to inherit his will for peace."

"What does that have to do with the Sharingan?"

A cold chuckle. "You have to ask!? We with the Sharingan are heirs to that Curse. We look to the past. We don't forget. We don't forgive. We only claim what's rightfully ours!

"The Sharingan's property is to analyze and copy. Most Kekkei Genkai have dark pasts; those where the wielders were ostracized or obliterated by those who were envious of their abilities. The Sharingan is no different. Think of all of those you know who have used the Sharingan; how many of us have received our eyes because we forged on with joy in our hearts?

"Even with all of our talent, we've only ever be looked at as 'second place'. The Sage and the people of Konoha looked down on us…Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan…my brother's fate…even Kakashi got his eye because his Uchiha friend was crushed to death.

"Even now…" the voice became hoarse and laced with agony, "…even now, my eyes only see the past. A past full of pain that my Clan has been forced to endure…"

"Sasuke…" Naruto brooded as he searched over the area for the missing-nin.

"You said earlier that you knew pain because of the destruction of Konoha and the death of Jiraiya?" the Uchiha smarmed. "Don't screw with me. Then and now, you couldn't possibly understand my pain. Nobody can. I don't just bear my hatred and suffering. I don't just carry my Clan's from the time they were assassinated. I don't just carry my brother's from the time he was ordered to kill them. I carry the pain my Clan's felt since the day it was formed. That…is the Curse of Hatred!"

"But, everything your Brother did, he did for Konoha!" Naruto insisted. "You heard the same thing I did from Obito, right?"

"Death…betrayal…hatred…all of Konoha betrayed me," Sasuke's voice accused. "Even Team Seven. Even you, Naruto. Whenever I close my eyes, I see the past. The only happy faces I see are those of everyone else but mine. You're all laughing. Because of the sacrifice of the Uchiha! You betrayed me. You all betrayed me. You betrayed me, Naruto, long before I betrayed Konoha. As such, I, the Enemy of Konoha…of the World…will eliminate you…Konoha's Hero…the World's Savior!"

"You moron!" the blonde cried. "I never fought you to become some kind of hero or savior! I've never done it for pride or recognition! I've done it because I've seen the pang of loss others received from your departure. I've done it because a single girl, happy to just have your recognition, tearfully asked me to. But most of all, I've done it because you're a trusted comrade of Konohagakure…you're my friend, Sasuke!"

"That's why you'll always be Dead Last!" Sasuke countered viciously. "When you lost your bonds, you always had others to help fill the void! When I lost my bonds, I had nothing to replace them. Everything I thought to be real was a lie. I was _betrayed_ by reality. I was _betrayed_ by bonds! So to correct the mistake I made of having bonds in the first place, I shall permanently sever the last one I have; my bond with you!"

The steam slowly began to vanish as Naruto approached the edge of the waterfall, which had shrunk with the reduction of the water level. A silhouette appeared at the edge of his vision on the head of Madara's damaged head.

**XXXXXXXXX**

The aura in the genjutsu around the fellow shinobi had progressively degenerated to a morbid mood as the battle between the two shinobi had evolved to new heights. Sakura, in particular, had realized the depths of the two shinobi she had not known, previously; the depth of Naruto's resolve to breakthrough to Sasuke and, in turn, the depth of Sasuke's hatred, sorrow, and resistance to Naruto's pleas.

"Kakashi-sensei," she started at the jounin, "is it true? Did Konoha sacrifice the Uchiha Clan?"

The silver-haired ninja didn't answer right away, preferring to keep his gaze away from her. "According to Obito…" he warily answered. "During the Kage Summit, he met with Naruto, Captain Yamato, and myself and told us that Danzo had ordered Itachi to eliminate the Uchiha, but he refused to kill Sasuke. We have no proof whether this is true or not, but…Sasuke believes it to be so."

"It's true," an older female declared, as a powerful aura appeared near the group. "Danzo and a few other elders feared the Uchiha were going to rise up against Konoha. The Third Hokage wanted a peaceful ending, but Danzo worked behind the scenes to influence enough of the Council to vote to proceed with the operation."

Sakura could hardly believe what she heard. "Why…?" she asked.

The Fifth Hokage sighed wearily. "Danzo was a man who was always able to work behind the shadows…he was called the Darkness of the Shinobi. He was once a teammate of Sarutobi-sensei's, but they both had different ideas on what the Hokage should be like. His distrust of others, ultimately, led to creating one of the most powerful missing-nin on the planet. Who knows how far his darkness stretched or how much it depravity it created."

The rosette felt despair rise in her throat. "Sasuke-kun…he's in so much pain, that he's lost all feeling to others," she realized hopelessly. "He lost his family to what he thought was his brother's betrayal. Then, when he realized that the place he was possibly to return to turned his back on him, as well, the strain became too much for him."

"Don't blame yourself, Sakura," her mentor as a genin assured her. "He's not the first one I've seen in his state. Sasuke has had vengeance since the beginning; since he was very young. He's been feeding on it from the time he lost his Clan till now. It's like an addiction. After he killed Itachi, more despair was the only possible outcome left. They look for more things to hate…more things to take vengeance on. His desire to be the best only added to his burning will to find more things to destroy."

Hinata winced at the description. "Naruto-kun…"

Shikamaru's brow furrowed inquisitively. "With all that's happened, is Sasuke even beyond help?"

"If anyone can, it's Naruto," Kakashi informed them.

Sakura nodded vehemently. "Naruto…Naruto can do it…"

**XXXXXXXXX**

Naruto approached the shadowy figure on the Uchiha statue. The misty atmosphere had been reduced, but it had become prominently darker due to the lack of moonlight. He leapt from the water's edge to the fingertips of the stone figure. A series of thunderbolts roared in the sky overhead, creating chaotic thunder in the pouring rain.

Blue electricity emanating from his right hand pointed to the sky lit up the black-haired shinobi's twisted visage. His left eye had drops of dried blood clinging to his cheek as if he had been crying. "Chidori…?"

The smirk deceived the look a sorrow the rest of his face portrayed. "I think…it's time we ended this, don't you…Naruto…?"

The blonde grimaced at the iciness with which Sasuke said his name, but created another Shadow Clone, all the same. The Konoha ninja lifted his right hand and clenched it, ignoring the prickling sensation from it. His Clone began to gather the Chakra necessary to perform his vintage ninjutsu. Soon, a small circular blue ball of energy sat just above the palm of his hand.

Soon, though, Naruto realized that his judgment in the technique was inaccurate. A dragon similar to the Great Dragon Flame jutsu that Sasuke used earlier began to form in the clouds and circled overhead.

"_Kirin_. This is my ultimate technique…one that I made all on my own," the Uchiha smugly informed the boy. Naruto realized the electricity in the boy's hand was the gathering of the energy necessary to form the attack and guided where it was to go.

Sasuke forced his hand down to direct the attack. "Begone…"

Naruto didn't wait for him to finish, lunging directly at the opponent with his Rasengan. 'If I could just dodge that bolt…it must be hard to guide such a big dragon once he directs it to a location.'

The dragon began its decent towards the blonde. The ninja didn't even pay attention to the attack, however. His vision had narrowed to just himself and the black-and-purple clothed shinobi in front of him. Time slowed down as he felt the energy from his opponent's jutsu crackle nearby him. Only another foot or two and he'd have dodged it…

The feeling passed by him. He did it. He dodged Sasuke's own jutsu, he had won. Sasuke's eyes widened as the ninja thrust his hand forth with the Rasengan.

The ball collided into the ninja's chest. The rotating sphere dug deep into the teen. Naruto gaped when he realized the Uchiha didn't make an attempt to block the jutsu. He coughed up blood from the strike as his legs were driven back from the blow. The red ooze sprayed passed Naruto's face, leaving a stream on his cheek.

"Sasuke…why…!?"

A grim smirk grew from the blood-stained lips of the ninja. "You Dead Last."

Sasuke's form vanished in a cloud of smoke; the same cloud of smoke Naruto saw so many Shadow Clones, mostly his own, vanish in after a stiff attack stuck the boy's distractions. He began to turn around.

A searing metal slipped into Naruto's lower left back and stuck out through the front of his abdomen. He had grown so numb. If the blade didn't feel hot enough to weld, he wouldn't have even noticed the blade at all. He looked down and saw the blade pulsing with the similar energy he had just seen the Sasuke Shadow Clone used to guide the Kirin.

He forced his head to rotate behind him to see what had happened. He saw Sasuke with the same grim smirk his Clone had gave him, without the blood.

Naruto coughed a moan as the blade was shoved in deeper. "You thought I couldn't use the Shadow Clone Jutsu simply because you had never seen me use it," it was an accusing statement more than a question. "Even a Dead Last like you could use such a common technique. It was a mistake to believe I couldn't perform it…especially when I have these eyes." He gestured a thumb at the Sharingan.

"Sa…su…ke…?"

"And my technique…_Kirin_…reaches the ground in a mere 1/1000th of a second. It's impossible to dodge without the Sharingan or I will it."

"Sa…su…ke..." the blonde breathed hoarsely. "Don't…"

"Burn…with the thunderclap…" Naruto felt his body heat up from inside and cried out in burning agony as the electricity erupted from every pore on his body from Sasuke's Kusanagi.

**XXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 4: The Path to Eternity**

_So farewell, but even forced apart, our stories go on. Even in a world without you, I run to someday get past the pain._


	4. The Path to Eternity

_The eternal bond that you gave to me; I just can't turn it into a memory. Because you gave me kindness I realized what 'strength' is, so thank you._

**Chapter 4: The Path to Eternity**

The electricity flashing through his veins finally subsided after what seemed like eternity to the blonde shinobi, though the searing heat and rancid scent of burnt skin lingered in his nostrils. His body completely numb, he noticed very little else of going on around him, though he was painfully aware of everything going on, including the saber sticker out of his abdomen.

Though aware, Naruto felt he was watching from a video screen. Everything seemed faded and distant, which was extremely apparent when he was forced to strain his ears to hear someone talking into his ear.

He instantly realized it was the voice of his great rival. "It is finished." The Konoha native felt the reduction of cool tingling leave his abdomen, signifying the Kusanagi was started to be removed from his front, through his body and, very likely, colon. Finally, the metal sang as it slid out of his back, allowing Naruto's languid form sway back and forth without its support.

The blonde placed an unsteady foot out in front of him to balance, but it was futile. He vaguely sensed a presence stand behind him as he tried to catch his balance…breath…touch…anything.

Sasuke derisively snorted. "Looks like you will always be a Dead Last." Naruto's field of vision suddenly changed thanks to a heel kick across his lower abdomen, causing a viscous fluid to pour forth from the hole in his body and his mouth.

Instead of staring ahead at a forest, the blonde was now staring up at the revolting mix of purple-blue and red from the moon. He also realized that the top of Madara's and the First Hokage's statues and the peak of the waterfall were falling away from him…or he was falling away from them.

A sudden craggy wall announced an unceremonious end to the teen's freefall. The boy noted his body constricted his knees to his forehead from the collision. But, instead of suddenly submerging into a dull blue, as the ninja had assumed was going to happen, his body lazily rolled over to his side into a position he may take if he were sleeping in his bed.

Naruto then began to feel the numbness in his body ebb, giving way to a malevolent tingle that started from his fingertips and his toes and determinedly climbed throughout his body.

It was at this time that the urgency of the situation hit the ex-jinchuriki, causing adrenalin to course through his veins. Naruto's mind raced to send signals to his limbs, but they seemed to be disrupted, as the ninja's extremities moved as if in quicksand.

'C'mon…move…!' the boy mentally commanded his insentient form.

'I gotta move…gotta get up…I can't lose here…' His thoughts became remote and sporadic as lifeblood leaked from his wound. The warm sticky fluid gathered in his mouth causing him to cough weakly. Iron plastered his tongue.

'Everyone's hopes…their dreams…they're riding on this…

'Blood…gotta stop the bleeding…if I can do that…

'Come on…move…can't lose…please…'

The veins in his head pulsating feverishly against his skull, the boy exhaled loudly, as if his decree would effectively dictate his desires, **"**_**Stand up, Goddammit~!"**_

Ignoring the furious dispute of strained muscles and popping tendons, the blonde shinobi forced his brain to feed the orders through his body's synapses to his deaf limbs. He felt rough gravel grind into his palm as he placed it down hard to force his body up. The upper half of the teen's anatomy slowly rose a few inches up. It was a start.

He wearily glanced at his legs, which had also begun moving. Meekly flailing at the pebbles on the ground and the stone barrier behind, Naruto was able to drag his lower build up to one knee. He could do this. He could stand. He could rise up. He could win. He could—

An immense exhaustion overwhelmed the young teen and sent him crashing into the gnashing stones, scraping his waxy skin on his arms effortlessly. Falling flat onto his stomach and face, the Konoha ninja felt the strength escape his body with each passing second, seeping away with the oozy red fluid his body used for existence.

The absolute inevitability of Naruto's surroundings descended onto the Hero of Konoha like the setting sun. He weakly swallowed a bit of the red iron that had collected into his mouth.

'This is it…huh…?' he ruefully released a weak snicker. 'I'm really gonna die…'

**XXXXXXXXX**

Despite all of the mental preparation that the battle could end in one or both of the ninjas' deaths, the actual event of Sasuke ruthlessly stabbing his Kusanagi into the lower back of his best friend was too much for many of the audience, especially where it considered the former Rookie Nine and Team Guy members.

A deathly hush had fallen over the small grouping, but the personas of those around them were flickering with anxiety over their fallen comrade. The silence was filled with disbelief that the blonde ninja had lost. The stillness was shattered almost as quickly as it had happened.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out. She fell to her knees sobbing. Kiba awkwardly tried to comfort her, but instead decided to let the girl cry into his shoulder as he, himself, fought back the depression that stuck in the dense air.

"He's…is he…?"

Sakura had a rollercoaster of emotions streaming through her body over the last several seconds of action.

Surprise surged when she understood the depth of Sasuke's power when he performed multiple powerful ninjutsu consecutively.

Pride swelled when Naruto made his declaration he'd fight for his friend because they _were_ friends.

Concern crept in when Naruto challenged Sasuke's own technique, Kirin.

Shock exploded when Naruto dodged Kirin and seemingly beat Sasuke with the Rasengan.

Confusion swarmed when Sasuke had called Naruto by his derogatory 'Dead Last' nickname.

Terror erupted when they all realized it was a Shadow Clone.

Dread pulsed when Sasuke stabbed his former teammate and sent Kirin raging through Naruto's body.

But the emotion that plagued the girl, now, was none of these. What attacked her and threatened to squelch her own heart was that Naruto…the Number 1 Unpredictable Ninja…the blonde with blue eyes always full of vigor and life…the orange genin who was quite possibly her closest friend…one of the few strong and foolish enough to fight on and never give up…had accepted the inevitable.

Naruto had quit.

"No…" the rosette kunoichi whispered. She wasn't upset he had surrendered…that was bad enough in itself. He hadn't given up on the battle, though. He hadn't given up on his friend.

He had quit on himself.

"No…" Sakura breathed again. It was only then that she noticed warm saline silently streaming down her cheeks. Her legs, too, lost their strength.

"He can't be…he won't…"

"Sakura…" a warm voice that sounded much older.

Her tear-flooded vision turned to her mentor. "Kakashi-sensei…Naruto…he just can't be…"

_...giving up._

"It's over, Sakura…" another gentle voice coming from the Hokage told her.

"What about the Nine-Tails!?" she screamed. "Why isn't it healing him!?"

The silver-haired ninja sighed heavily. "I think…Naruto must have lost him at some point in the battle with Madara. Naruto hasn't used his Chakra Forms he has gained from the Nine-Tails, at all. I thought it was because that he didn't want to be put in a position to kill Sasuke…but…"

"Naruto…"

He could hear the tearful cries of those around her. Even if they were forcing it back, their auras betrayed the depth of the sadness that besieged the group. She could even sense the sorrow of Konohamaru and his friends and her teacher from the Academy, Iruka, all of whom were very close to Naruto.

"_Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei! Can we go get Ramen, again?"_

Again, the group of Naruto's friends froze. Did they hear Naruto's voice? Or were they hallucinating?

"…Naruto?"

**XXXXXXXXX**

'What…did I…hear…something…?' Naruto's beleaguered mind mustered.

_"Only after you finish your work, Naruto!"_

"What…Iruka-sensei…?"

_"He's no longer your Demon Fox...he is…a citizen of Konohagakure...Uzumaki Naruto!"_

'My memories…'

_"If you ever touch my sensei again…I'll _kill_ you!"_

'Ahh…that's right…the old saying…'

_"There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage."_

'Heh…I wonder…Sasuke said that the Infinite Tsukuyomi transfers our battle and the thoughts and emotions stemming from it to the others…'

_"My dream is to one day, be a better shinobi than the Lord Hokage! Then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence, at last!"_

'Well…at least I get to see something I like before I die…'

_"Shinobi see through deception."_

'It still…sucks, though…'

**XXXXXXXXX**

Another vision, this one from the start of the Land of Waves, passed in front of the crowds of people.

"Naruto's memories…?" Shikamaru inquired.

"But…how can we see them?"

"If I had to guess…" Kakashi surmised, "…because Naruto is actually seeing this, instead of the area around him."

_"When you protect the ones important to you, your true strength will show."_

More visions passed by them, including the first test of the Chunin Exams.

"_Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want! You're not gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I DO get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!"_

A hollow grin spread across Sakura's face from the recollection. Her body had grown numb, however, from the realization that Naruto's end was upon them.

The Forest of Death flew by them, followed by Naruto's victory over Kiba in the Chunin Preliminary Matches. Then, images of Jiraiya training Naruto for the first time appeared.

Sakura felt her Sannin mentor shift uneasily at seeing her longtime comrade for the first time in a while. The rosette noted how real these images were…so real they were palpable.

_"Why do you insist on continuing?"_

_"Because someone once called me a failure!"_

_"Naruto…you're one of the ones I want to fight."_

Sakura then saw, for the first time, Naruto's fight against Gaara. But, what struck closest to her being was the quote she heard at the end. The determination he gained from watching Sasuke and herself fight against insurmountable odds.

_"It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone. I know that feeling, I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll never give up; I will stop you, even if I have to kill you! They saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness, they were the first to accept me as who I am. They're my friends."_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_ "Because, unlike you, I want that title. To be Hokage…is my dream!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"Until I reach my dream, there's no way I'm gonna die!"_

'Tch…'

**XXXXXXXXX**

_ "This headband shows that we both recognize each other as shinobi of the Leaf!"_

_ "There you go, talking big again…you really think you're equal to me!?"_

_ "I never once thought of myself any less than you!"_

_ "Naruto~!"_

_ "Sasuke~!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_** "**Naruto... only you... My only wish... Please... bring Sasuke-kun back!"_

"_I will bring Sasuke back for sure. _This_ is a promise of a lifetime!"_

'Was I…'

**XXXXXXXXX**

"_Just shut up for once... What the heck to you know about it? It's not like you ever had a family in the first place. You were on your own right from the beginning! What makes you think you know anything about it, huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties. How on earth could you possibly understand what it feels like to lose all of that?!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"Why do you go so far for me…?"_

_ "Because I finally have a bond with someone!"_

'Was I always so persistent…?'

**XXXXXXXXX**

_ "If being smart means what you say it does…I'd rather be a fool my entire life!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"They just see us as monsters! As means to an end! He was just like I was and he fought all on his own a lot longer than I did. He's been targeted by Akatsuki! We're the same, again! And despite that... Why does everything bad always have to happen to him?! It's always him! That's why... That's why I can't waste a second! This time, I want to save him as fast as I can!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

"_How can someone who can't even save his friends become Hokage...? Isn't it so, Sasuke?"_

'Heh…and here I am…'

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"__It's true that teamwork is important...and I know that, but I want to cross this dangerous bridge myself. If I can't get to the other side, I'll stay a kid forever."_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"__Peace__? __Justice__? Screw you! You're insane! What about my master?! My Sensei! My friends! My home?! After everything you've done, you still act like it's for peace?"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"Then I will break that curse! If there's such a thing as peace, I will find it! I won't give up!"_

'…am I really fine with ending it like this…?'

**XXXXXXXXX**

"_Tell me...Do you know my thoughts...can you tell what is in my heart?"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_"Itachi... Thank you for trusting me. You don't have to worry anymore... You've done more than enough for the Village already! Leave the rest to me!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

_ "You're no longer the Nine-Tailed Fox. You're a trust comrade from Konohagakure…Kurama!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Stand up…Naruto-kun!"

'…Huh!?'

**XXXXXXXXX**

Sakura's reverie was broken by hearing Hinata's voice. She turned instantly to the lavender-haired girl and saw her blushing and looking just as surprised as the rest of them were.

"Hinata…?" Sakura gasped. "But…how…?"

Hinata gulped and shook her head in confusion, when another familiar voice resounded in the atmosphere.

"Naruto-kun…you gave Sakura-san the Nice-Guy pose! You can't fail, now!"

"…Lee-san…?"

One by one, that seemed to echo from the thoughts and minds of her friends sounded out for everyone to hear.

"Go for it, Naruto!"

"You believed in me to be a genius…now I give that same belief in you!"

"If you give up now, what'll happen to Sakura and Sasuke?"

"Don't lay down when you're this close, Brat!"

"You showed me the light and saved me from Darkness…I consider you my first true friend…I know you can do it."

Sakura looked at those standing around her and saw the intensity of their gazes focused on the watery image in front of them. Eventually, she heard voices from shinobi of other villages. Some she barely knew, while others, she didn't have a clue who they were. The sound grew until it seemed like everyone, even citizens that had never met Naruto or were just living their everyday lives before this incident were sending him their thoughts and cheers.

"Has everyone's hearts…connected…?"

The kunoichi then realized that there was one voice she wasn't hearing in the crowd, and she began to focus on the screen as hard as she could. "Naruto…Just do what you've always done…do your best...ok? Naruto!"

**XXXXXXXXX**

The last voice of his pink-haired teammate reverberated in his ears and he felt his heart stir. Once more, Naruto found the strength of will inside of him to try to stand again. 'Everyone…'

He dug his hands into the crag.

'Everyone…they're still fighting…'

He forced himself upward with his toes.

'They haven't given up…'

His body inched its way off the ground to his elbows and knees.

_"Ninja who abandon their friends are worse than scum."_

Pain rang throughout his disheveled body as he rose deliberately from his prone state.

_"I don't want to ever want to see that again…my trusted comrades, falling right in front of me…"_

He felt warmth curl into a gentle ball in his abdomen.

'I don't care…what happens to me…but…'

The warmth burst and instantaneously extended from the top of his head, to the bottom of his feet to the tips of his toes to those of his fingers. There was no more agony in his body.

"…I won't give up…I'm not gonna die…not in front of them!"

His body ignited in the form of a bright yellow sun. He determinedly stared at his best friend, several yards above him.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke watched the whole scenario play out from his position on the fingertips of Madara's monument. The battle, itself, had been going according to plan, but the resonance of the minds of the people hadn't fully come to pass. For a while, he had wondered if they would ever understand the meaning of the battle of the two; that the world's answer was to forever be full of selfish, hateful people.

A smile tugged at his lips just enough to tilt the ends of his mouth up in a small grin. He had heard them, so he knew Naruto did. The wishes of good luck that ninja and civilians alike had transferred to the blonde were sure to incite the boy to continue the battle. And then, everything would end as he had planned.

"So, this is your answer, huh?" He turned and leapt down from the fingertips towards the ex-junchuriki's level. He landed on the outcropping near the ground that had been created by the battle the last two had at the exact same location.

He stood and inspected his former friend. The boy had now ignited in a fiery blaze and seemed to also have acquired a new coat. The wound on his stomach, though still visible, had inexplicably stopped bleeding.

"You finally ready to continue?"

A soft chuckle from the Konoha ninja surprised him as Naruto extended his right hand. "Not continue...This is it, Sasuke…This is the part where I shatter that brooding darkness of yours into a million pieces…"

Sasuke's eyes widened at the response. The energy that had gathered around the blonde ninja began to accumulate in his palm. His Chakra Form slowly dissipated as the swirling vortex absorbed it.

"Rasengan…?" Sasuke breathed. "No…" The compact sphere emanated as much power as the typical Chakra Sphere, but instead of being a pale pulsing blue that was typical of the attack, Naruto's had become a swirling yellow with a fiery orange aura.

What was most unusual was the missing-nin felt the warmth of the ball from his position, probably 10-to-12 yards away. No…not just here…he was sure that, no matter where he had been, that warmth would have reached him.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"What…what is that…?" Shikamaru marveled.

"Rasengan…" Kakashi noted, "But it's different…"

Ino exhaled lightly. "Pretty…"

Neji stared in awe. "It's like the sun."

"I feel it…" Hinata smiled. "I feel Naruto-kun's warmth in that sphere…it's surrounding me…piercing through me…"

"I do, too," Sakura agreed heartily. "It's the feeling I get whenever that reckless idiot is about to spring into action…whenever he's about to win…"

The lavender-haired girl giggled lightly, nodding at her compatriot.

Kakashi couldn't also help but grin. 'Go for it…Naruto…!'

**XXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke spat. "You think, after all of this, that I'm just going to let you win?" Only the waterfall and the vibrations of the Rasengan answered him.

Naruto inspected the sphere. Content and sadness flashed for a brief moment in his eyes as his mind traveled back to his battle with Madara. _"Don't worry. I'll leave you with enough to finish this!"_

'Kurama…thank you…'

The blonde's gaze and smile returned to his friend. "I'm sure, you know, Sasuke…but there's no way you can win this."

The black-haired shinobi snorted. "Oh? And how can you tell that?"

"It was something your brother once told me."

"My Brother…?"

_"No matter how powerful you become, never try to shoulder everything alone. Otherwise, you will undoubtedly fail."_

"My next strike isn't just coming from my power, alone."

"What?" Sasuke started. He glowered at the Chakra Sphere in Naruto's palm, searching for what the blonde was saying.

He then saw it. They were flashes more than images; flashes of their time together. But more than that, it was Naruto's experiences with everyone. Visions of Team Seven, of the Rookie Nine, of Team Guy, of the Sand Shinobi, of Itachi, of everyone the boy had ever met, and even people neither of them had ever met, flashed in the Uchiha's mind.

Annoyed, the Uchiha executed a series of hand motions, extended his right hand, grabbed his forearm with his left, and sent a charge of electricity through it to his clutched hand.

"Of course, that would be your answer," the blonde ninja announced. "You won't win, though."

"A Loser to the end." Sasuke allowed a grim smirk to pass. "This battle involves more than winning and losing. In every war, the losers have just as much to do with the outcome as the winners, simply by being there. But, if you can't understand that, then you will always be a Dead Last."

The grin on Naruto's face hadn't wavered. It wasn't confident. It wasn't depressing. It wasn't happy. It wasn't loving. It wasn't understanding.

And yet it was all of those and so much more. It was filled with every emotion and experience Naruto had ever felt.

Confidence that he was equal to his rival.

Depression that the Uchiha chose power over him and Team Seven.

Happiness of the great times he had with everyone.

Love that made Naruto able to make friends so easily.

Understanding that allowed him to connect with nearly anyone.

It simply was Naruto.

The blonde closed his eyes. "I understand a lot more than you think, Sasuke" he replied heavily. The Uchiha's brow furrowed questioningly. "Right now…no…from the beginning, you planned on taking on the burdens of the world upon yourself, while I encompassed the hopes and dreams they all possessed.

"But, Sasuke…that very thinking was the reason the Eye of the Moon Plan would never work. If you tried to do everything yourself, you would undoubtedly fail. That's why two of us were necessary to do this mission, right?

"I should apologize, though. I said some pretty stupid things back at the Samurai Bridge."

"_I'll bear the burden of your hate, and we'll die together!"_

"That was the wrong thing to say. No more death. No more suffering. Everyone who fights alongside of me…who cheers from the sidelines…who just wants to live happily till the end of their days…they're _all_ my trusted comrades. I won't let any one of them die while I'm still standing!"

Sasuke's eyes widened at the boy's declaration. A small smile then graced his lips. 'Naruto…you really are…'

"Then I suppose it's time, Naruto…time to end this fight…and all of the fights up to now."

Naruto firmly nodded.

The two shinobi launched themselves at each other amidst the monsoon of the waterfall.

_We'll do it together…_

Chilling water cascaded on the two as they reached each other.

_The wars…_

They thrust their attacks at each other.

_The hatred…_

The attacks resonated with each other. Fiery yellow collided with throbbing blue and a vortex absorbed the two within it.

_The sorrow…_

Both shinobi used all of their might to impose their will on each other—Naruto for his friend and the world; Sasuke to see his family once more.

_All of it…we're gonna blow it all away…!_

The Konoha ninja's Rasengan overwhelmed the missing-nin's Chidori and started a chain reaction that exploded in front of the two. A cry echoed from the black-haired shinobi as the explosion erupted into his face and eyes. A warm light followed by a cold, wet darkness swarmed the Uchiha.

**XXXXXXXXX**

A warm touch tickled the face of the Uchiha as he felt himself being dragged along the ground. A vindictive burning sensation still rippled through his eyes, which was now more prevalent due to the fact he was no longer in the rich, cool lagoon.

The tickle, he realized, was the warm light of the sun that must have started to climb up over the horizon, signifying the end of the long, hard-fought Shinobi World War. He released a heavy sigh, alerting his dragger.

"So, you're finally awake, huh?" an easily recognizable raspy voice intoned wearily.

Sasuke snorted cynically. "I was never knocked out. I just kept my eyes closed."

"Oh?"

A heavy pressure next to the black-haired shinobi signaled the Konoha ninja sat down. Silence enveloped the two. It wasn't the awkward, scornful silence that had previously accompanied them since Sasuke left for Orochimaru, though. It was the stillness that complemented the morning sun and dew.

Content, Sasuke allowed himself to reconsider what had happened between them. Hoping to see the new day, the missing-nin ignored the fiery soreness that had been his companion for several a minute and opened his eyes.

There was nothing but faded silhouettes.

Sasuke exhaled lightly. He raised his hand to his face till he could feel the heat from it, but, at best, he could make out a generic outline drawn by a three-year-old of it. A hand grabbed his and felt a different aura above him.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm blind."

"…Really?" The raspy voice inquired. There was a noticeable waver to the reply.

"I can barely see the outlines of your stupid head."

A soft snicker. "Even blind…you're still…a Bastard."

Another hush passed between them, before Sasuke spoke up again.

"…How…?"

"Huh?"

"How did you figure out that I was trying to die in that battle? I was to be the one to purge humanity. I would've been the winner, in the end, knowing that my revenge would have been complete."

A lethargic pause.

"Dunno what you're talking about…I was just helping out a friend."

"Helping out…?"

"If you had died…there wouldn't have been happiness…most likely, you would've just created the one thing…the one thing you wouldn't have wanted…"

"One thing…"

"Another Uchiha Sasuke…"

Dense calmness passed between them as Sasuke chewed on the blonde's words.

"Naruto…You…"

He felt the air change as something fell insentient beside him.

"Naruto…?"

There was no response.

"Tch…the winner isn't supposed to be the first one unconscious…Dead Last…"

Vaguely, the Uchiha heard the tapping of footsteps in the tree limbs surrounding the two. He sensed familiar auras consisting of those of he had fought and of the Village of Konoha, especially Team Seven. The fatigue from the battle soon swallowed him whole as the footsteps approached them on the grass and then he knew no more.

**XXXXXXXXX**

**Next Time: The Path to Everlasting Bonds**

"_Without giving up, let's believe and grasp it; someday you'll be fulfilled. Wake up your heart."_


	5. The Path to Everlasting Bonds

"_The pain in your heart is something you can let out to me."_

**Chapter 5: The Path to Everlasting Bonds**

"Report, please, Shizune," the blonde medic-nin stated as soon as she entered the WIA section of the hospital.

The black-haired apprentice nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama." She looks at the clipboard she had been holding. "After further inspection, the numbers are not as bad as the preliminary estimates stated," Shizune informed the Fifth Hokage, as they and Tonton walked down the hallway.

The platinum blonde exhaled wearily. She knew Shizune was trying to soften the blow, but as the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, as a medic, and as a human being, Tsunade was never happy with loss of life. And the gods know that was exactly what terrible wars bring.

"Konohagakure had 46 shinobi KIA, 81 shinobi MIA, and 67 shinobi WIA. Of the 127 KIA and MIA, 98 shinobi were of chunin rank, 11 were of genin rank, and the remaining 18 were jounin."

The Fifth felt a deep sorrow weigh down her steps. "Eleven genin…huh…?" She didn't like death of any sort, but to have such younglings cut before their dreams could even have a chance of being realized reminded her too much of her younger brother, Nawaki.

Shizune cast a sorrowful sideward glance at her mentor, but said nothing.

Sensing her assistant was searching for a reply, Tsunade recollected herself. "It's a lot of life...but still…everyone worked hard to keep the casualties to a minimum. I can't ask for anything more…though we'll need to hold a memorial for those who lost their lives."

The dark-haired apprentice nodded firmly, as the Fifth Hokage continued. "So, how are they?"

Shizune flipped the top page of her clipboard over and read on. "Of all the nations, it appears that most of the casualties were reduced to a minimum. A final number is still being tallied, but it appears that the KIA, MIA, and WIA figures of all the major shinobi villages will not exceed 1500. Even Ohnoki-sama, who appeared to have received a fatal blow, was saved by you, though he has partially retired from being the Tsuchikage and is currently searching for a successor."

Tsunade stalled at the reply. The dark-haired apprentice and her pet both froze when they realized the Leader of the Village had stopped. "Shizune…that's not what I meant."

The assistant sighed wearily at the Leader. "I know…Hokage-sama…I just…"

A gentle hand landed on the assistant's shoulder. "I understand. But we need to be strong, like they were." Returning to Leader persona, she walked on. "Now then…Report."

"Right." She flipped to the back page of her analysis. "Uchiha Sasuke-kun has recovered from nearly all of his injuries. He acquired a mild concussion and several internal wounds. His biggest injuries, though, were to his right arm and his eyes. All of the surgeries necessary were made to repair the second-degree burns, the torn muscles and the broken hand and forearm, all of which were successful. However, while he can use it for normal everyday activities it will take time to regain full use of his arm for any sort of jutsu.

"The biggest issue was his eyes, which were damaged beyond repair. We were able to acquire a different pair of eyes—" Tsunade noticed the sickened pause before she continued "—but we had to wait for the pain to subside fully before we could perform surgery. But the surgery was successful. All that's left is to remove the bandages and see the fruits of your labor, Hokage-sama."

She wryly remembered that surgery. It had taken nearly 14 hours of delicate work involving herself, the Hyuuga Byakugan, and her apprentices Shizune, Sakura, and Ino to replace the eyes of the Uchiha. It had been disgusting work, removing the shriveled eyes that had seemingly been fried by that last attack the two shinobi. As Shizune said, though, the effort was well worth it, as the operation was deemed a triumph.

"And? What about Naruto?"

A painful silence interrupted only by the taps of their footsteps on the hardwood floor spread between them. Tsunade thought she heard a muffled sob come from the apprentice and glanced at her.

"Uzumaki Naruto-kun…his injuries were far worse than Sasuke-kun's. After Haruno Sakura-san performed emergency First Aid at the scene of recovery of the two shinobi, Naruto was brought into care at the nearest Major Village's hospice, Sunagakure's.

"After performing several days' worth of medical ninjutsu to bring him to a stable condition, we returned him to Konohagakure. His right arm has also suffered from massive trauma. We've repaired most of the damage, but the extent of the damage caused by the colliding Chidori and Rasengan and RasenShuriken is still unknown. He may never get full use of that arm back."

"That brat," the Hokage stated, more motherly than scornfully. "I told him that it was a forbidden jutsu in that form."

Shizune gulped and continued. "Naruto-kun's life was saved by the emergency First Aid performed on his swords wound at recovery. We had to replace his left colon and repair minor damage done to his left lung. Multiple scratch and burns were worked on after he returned to Konoha. He acquired a medium-level concussion, most likely from his fall. But, despite all of the damage he acquired, even without the healing of the Nine-Tails Chakra, he still hasn't died…but…" Her words died in her throat as they approached a room guarded by Izumo and Kotetsu.

"I see…"

Both saluted the two women, who returned it and dismissed them. Tsunade turned to the younger woman, waiting for her to finish her dismal statement before entering the room.

"…Naruto-kun has yet to awaken from his coma."

A sad smile graced the Hokage's pink lips. He sees the chunin leaving down the hall and placed an arrogant fist on her hip. "Only an Uchiha would need guards even when he's blind."

The black-haired medic noticed the full meaning of her words, but said nothing. The group turned, opened the door, and stepped inside.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Sakura sat in a wooden chair next to the medical bed that held her dark-haired teammate. She had busied herself reading a book she had brought to study while the two ninja merely sat in each others' presence. Sasuke had said very few words to anyone, though he wasn't against talking to anyone who started the discussion.

At first, Sakura thought he didn't speak because he didn't know if anyone was in his presence, being unable to see. But she noticed that he would react before anyone else when someone approached his door. She confirmed her assumptions when she greeted him meekly greeted her by name, one day. She inquired how he knew it was her, and he offhandedly informed her she smelt of her namesake.

The rosette had visited daily for an hour before her shift at the hospital, during her lunch, and after her shift. She peeled apples for the sightless ninja and handed them to the teen. At first, he just let the plate of fruit sit on his lap. But in the last several days, with gentle urging by Sakura and others for becoming abnormally skinny from lack of sustenance, Sasuke acquiesced and would munch on a few slices of apple.

Sakura peered over her book at the dark-haired ninja. White wraps covered his eyes and the back of his head, disheveling the missing-nin's hair. He had lost much weight, but still looked muscular. His skin had received a little color, now that he was out of the darkened lairs of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. In his light blue hospital gown, he almost looked normal.

She felt Sasuke shift uneasily on his bed and lowered her book. Light footsteps echoed just outside their door. The jam clicked and the entrance gingerly swung open.

"Fifth Hokage," Sasuke greeted immediately as she stepped inside. Sakura, taking a second to marvel how the Uchiha knew who the entrant was, stood and bowed to her Sannin mentor.

Tsunade nodded to her apprentice and turned her gaze onto the Uchiha. "I'm impressed, Sasuke," she intoned. "How did you know?"

"Your footsteps," he calmly informed her.

Tsunade smirked. "You're looking a little healthier. You've been listening to Sakura, huh?" A light rose tint appeared on the girl's cheeks, but she nodded.

The platinum blonde took the clipboard hanging from the front of the bed and inspected the notes. "It appears that your recovery from your eye surgery is progressing as scheduled. All that's left is removing those bandages."

Sasuke noticeably stiffened at the remark, but said nothing. Tsunade again motioned to Sakura. The rosette walked over beside her teammate and reached forward. The black-haired ninja's hand swiftly rose to grab her wrist. The room froze with tension from the maneuver, but he relaxed and allowed the girl to untie the wrap from his skull.

The cloth removed, everyone was allowed to see the upper half of his head. Dried blood stained the sides of his eyes, but he looked normal, overall. Sasuke opened a lit in his eyes and grimaced at the addition of light to his eyes, where none had been before. He slowly opened his eyes fully with a listless gaze.

Malleable silhouettes and outlines were all that he saw, at first. He blinked once and, noticing it brought more solid visions to his eyes, he did it several more times. His eyes, now a little more dark brown than black, stared at the black-haired and platinum blond in front of him.

"Sakura…" he breathed, hoarsely. A wide smile graced her features, as she dove at him, arms wide. Her arms clamped down on the teen tightly. Sasuke's muscles tightened at the proximity, but slowly slinked his left arm around her, pulling her into a loose embrace. The Uchiha allowed the girl to hold him tightly in her grasp.

Tsunade interrupted the moment, while the rosette clung to the boy. "Your eyes are a slightly different color, now. They're so dark, they look almost black, but they're actually dark brown. Also…" The dark-haired boy glanced at the Sannin when she paused. "…obviously, we couldn't get a hold of any Uchiha eyes."

Sasuke leaned back against the bed. He lifted his right hand in front of his eyes and flexed. "So…I don't have the Sharingan, anymore." A smile fell upon his lips.

"It's fine, this way," he declared. "I failed to claim total vengeance…so I have no right to bear those eyes."

"I wonder if that's true," the platinum blonde shrugged. A shifting of sheets caught her attention, but only silence followed as a reply.

A gentle pressure on her shoulder forced Sakura to lean back from the boy and looked from her friend to her mentor. The Uchiha gestured for her to release him from her bear hug. She stood up and walked over by the window, allowing the two ninja to discuss matters unimpeded. She gave a pained look at the Hokage's assistant, who smiled timidly at her to encourage her.

Sasuke sat forward and placed his heavy gaze on the elder woman. "I guess if the fifth Hokage's hear…my sentence has been decided."

The blonde sighed heavily at the boy, relaxing her pose. "You left the village of Konoha and willingly joined one of the greatest criminals, at the time, in Orochimaru, who had also attempted to destroy the village, before. You killed the Sixth Hokage candidate, Danzo, and joined the criminal organization, Akatsuki. You sided with a man who was considered the greatest threat to the Shinobi World, attacked all of the Kage at the Summit, and initiated Obito and Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan. Your actions directly or indirectly led to the deaths of many shinobi, not just from Konoha, but from many of the other Great Nations, as well.

A tense stillness settled on the room, as the many accusations flew from Kage's mouth. Sasuke, however, kept his gaze firm, though it was far from angry or determined. He appeared to be ready for any sentence he was given. Sakura kept silent while Tsunade talked.

The Leader of Konoha folded her arms across her chest. "To be honest, it's amazing that the other villages didn't demand to have a voice in your sentencing. They insisted that they'd be satisfied with whatever Konohagakure decided."

Sasuke's first reaction since Tsunade came into the room was his eyes widening at the statement. The platinum blonde softened her expression to one akin to amusement before continuing. "However, it's also true that your actions led to the deaths of Orochimaru and several Akatsuki members. And, as much danger as your actions put everyone in, your actions, in culmination with Naruto's, also helped to save lives. It also helped to completely unite the Five Great Nations and lead to peace in the Shinobi World.

"Therefore, I will read your punishment as decided by myself and the Council." She held her hand out to Shizune, who reached into her cloak pocket and pulled out a scroll. She unrolled it at cleared her throat.

"First, Uchiha Sasuke is immediately stripped of his shinobi credentials and he will be unable to go on official missions for Konohagakure.

"Second, Uchiha Sasuke will receive a five-year probation during which he will be put under 24-hour surveillance while within the village.

"Third, Uchiha Sasuke will be unable to leave the village without a jounin escort. The escort will determine, in the field, whether or not Uchiha Sasuke's actions out of the village will endanger Konohagakure or its allies, and will be dealt with accordingly, as seen fit by his escort."

The tension immediately lifted from the room as the words left the Hokage's mouth. The Uchiha's mouth dropped open when he realized that what the sentence he anticipated was not read off to him. Sakura dashed over to the boy and pulled him into another tight hug.

Her hug loosened when Sasuke struggled against her a bit. "Why…?" Tsunade raised a brow. "No execution…" No response. "Not even life imprisonment…" No response. "Why did I get off so easy?" His tone became harsher with each inquiry.

"Sasuke-kun…" He turned savagely towards the rosette medic. His head instantaneously jerked to the side as a shot rang out, leaving a throbbing red handprint on the side of the teen's head. His eyes expanded in surprise at the sudden gesture from the kunoichi.

He turned his head back with an annoyed gaze at the girl, but it softened when he saw her face contorted in a painful mix of disgust, spite, hurt, and rage. Fresh, unshed tears shone in her pupils. "You get a second chance at life—a second chance to just live as Sasuke the Person—and you want to complain about it!? Your best friend searched for nearly six years to find you, he almost killed himself time and again to bring you back, and you're going to stain his actions by wanting to die? Didn't that battle with Naruto teach you to value life more than that!?"

"Sakura…?"

She lowered her head and clenched the white sheets tightly. "I don't understand you…I don't understand why you'd leave for years in search of power, when you could have been content with everyone in Konoha…I don't understand why you had to drive Naruto to bring himself near death time and again just to bring you home…I don't understand why you'd want to kill those who you once considered friends for something they had no control over…I don't understand why you want to die, now…"

Her eyes flashed open at the dark-haired shinobi. "But, even so, we still hold out our hand! We don't have to understand everything about each other to be trusted friends, right? Why can't you see that all this sorrow you're carrying around hurts us as much as it does you!?"

Nonplussed, Sasuke eyed the girl in awe from her reprimand of him. The rosette medic's head had lowered, again, but there were no signs of tears or any wetness, though she was trembling severely. Guilt exploding from the dam built around his heart, the dark-haired boy frowned at the shivering form in front of him. He gently reached out his hand and awkwardly placed it atop of the teen's own.

She gasped and looked up. Though his frown had remained, there was clear emotion in his eyes. He nodded appreciatively at her. The girl closed her mouth, a small smile tugged at her lips until she bore a grin that reached her eyes.

The Fifth Hokage acknowledged in agreement. "We couldn't just kill you. It would throw away everything you and Naruto fought for. Thanks to the both of you, even though we can't remove the past stained of hatred, we are able keep moving forward. And maybe, somewhere along the line, we can find a way to correct it. I accept that as good of a reason as any.

"Too many people have died, already. Executing you won't rewind time and it won't erase the sorrow you created. If you need a reason for living, live for the lives you took and the friends who fought so desperately to get you back." She smiled at her pink-haired apprentice, who returned it firmly.

"Keep moving forward…for them…huh…?"

"Don't misunderstand," Shizune lectured matter-of-factly. "It's not as if this punishment's going to be a let-off. Frankly, it may end up being harder for you than capital punishment." Sasuke surveyed the apprentice. "Whether or not you helped unite the Shinobi World, people are still people and your actions harmed a great deal of them, directly or indirectly. You won't be attacked in any of the Great Nations, but people will still be cold and scornful towards you. It will take time for the people to accept you back, even in Konohagakure."

The Uchiha's brow furrowed at the apprentice in front of him, though he appeared to be deep in contemplation. "So, basically…I'm going to be in Naruto's position…" He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in front of his mouth and closed his eyes. 'Mother… Father… Itachi… I'm going to do it. I'll rebuild our clan from the ground up and restore our image. I'll make it the best clan in the entire Shinobi World.'

He confidently smirked at the Fifth Hokage. The Fire of Hatred and Sorrow long extinguished, a new passion burned in the souls of his pupils. "If that Dead Last can tolerate it for 12 years, I can easily manage to handle it for twice that long."

**XXXXXXXXX**

Hinata sat next to the blonde shinobi known as Naruto as he lay unconscious. She scrutinized his form, which had grown slimmer in the last month. Still, it was better than he previously was.

Bandages wrapped around his forehead and jaw, causing his already-tousled blonde hair to become a porcupine. The wraps streamed from his head down to his chest, covering every inch of skin that would normally be revealed. His right arm was the most heavily dressed wound. Two slates of wood were used as a splint after the operation to repair the cellular damage from the RasenShuriken and the muscle and tendon injuries from the combo attack at the end of the fight.

A prick of guilt rose in the girl, as she laughed when she remembered how he was originally. She was sorrowful about it before, but she had to admit—he looked like a mummy. She smiled at the blonde, even picking up her spirits while unconscious, though unintentionally.

Coming back from her daydream, the lavender-haired girl watched over Naruto. She was asked to whenever Sakura wouldn't or couldn't. In some cases, the Hyuuga did so even while the medic-nin was there.

One day, Hinata acquired the nerve to ask Sakura if she could follow the medic on her rounds at the hospital. While not wanting to be a medic-nin, she figured basic first aid would be a helpful experience for her teammates, if they needed it on a mission. It was also a chance to visit both Sasuke and Naruto.

Sakura visited Sasuke for an hour before her shift, at her lunch break, and after her shift. The Hyuuga never once saw Naruto and never once saw Sakura make an attempt to stop by his room, though they passed the entrance in the hallway multiple times.

Finally, Sakura exited Sasuke's room for the final time in the day. As the two entered his room, Sakura immediately went to redressing his wounds. After checking on his status, the medic grabbed a pair of wooden chairs stacked against the wall and placed them next to the bed, beckoning her purple-haired friend to sit with her.

"It's ok," the teenager encouraged, jokingly. "He won't bite."

Hinata nodded timidly and sat near the head of the hospital bed. "Hello, Naruto," the girl's voice rang out. "I brought someone to visit you, today!" After sitting in silence for a time, Sakura nudged her, dipping her head at the blonde.

The purple-haired girl's voice wavered slightly and she inhaled a breath. "H-hello, Naruto-kun. It's me, Hinata."

"Still too nervous to talk to him, even when he's unaware, huh?" the medic joked. The Hyuuga blushed, but released a petite giggle.

Sakura then took her time to explain the day's events to the unconscious shinobi, laughing as if she were talking to an old friend. Eventually, Hinata found herself chiming in, and the two chatted away with the lifeless blonde, reminiscing old adventures and talking about the ones that had happened in his absence.

Hinata soon realized just how much the medic appreciated her teammate. They had arrived at around late afternoon to visit the blonde, but it was well into the night before the two kunoichi left for the day. She guessed no fewer than four hours passed, that day, and it seemed as if she did so every day since he came back from Suna.

Sakura smiled. "Speaking to people in coma is supposed to help." She failed to mention that the help was either the one comatose or those who were visiting. "I don't see him during the day, though, because…well…as you saw, I kind of lose track of time visiting him."

Hinata chuckled. "You're starting to become like Kakashi-sensei," she mused. Sakura replied by sticking her tongue out at the girl playfully, but the two laughed loudly, lifting their spirits up with the wind that had arrived.

These meetings continued almost daily, except when either of the two had missions or Sakura was simply too busy to meet Hinata. Sometimes, the Hyuuga wondered if the medic was allowing Hinata to have time to herself with the blonde. She silently thanked her roseate friend for leaving them alone, though whether Sakura did so intentionally or not remained a mystery to her.

The Hyuuga watched Naruto's chest rise and fall in time with his light breathing. It had been a while since most of his injuries had healed, but, even so, the boy had not managed to wake up from his coma. It was both soothing and horrific to see the blonde in his present state. He looked so peaceful resting in the hospital bed, but his degenerating form and the fear he may never wake up were very real.

"Naruto-kun…" she breathed, firmly "…don't give up, yet. You'll wake up soon, I'm sure."

The door next to her unlatched and opened. Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade walked in and greeted the girl. Allowing an air of surprise to escape, Hinata rose instantly and bowed to the Hokage. Tsunade smiled at the girl and patted her shoulder tenderly. Hinata picked her head up to the woman and smiled softly at her.

"I should thank you for watching over this knucklehead in our absence," Tsunade mused.

The Hyuuga swallowed nervously. "Oh…it's no trouble," she murmured. "I'm just glad I could help."

Sakura then walked up to the girl. "Why don't you go get some rest, Hinata?" she said warmly. "You must have been here all day."

The lavender-haired girl was about to protest, but saw the pleading look in her friends emerald eyes. She smiled encouragingly at the rosette and nodded. "Thanks, Sakura-san." Shizune motioned for the girl to come with her and Tonton, as they walked out of the room. Their voices dissipated down the hallway and were soon out of earshot.

Tsunade pursed her lips at the boy. "Still not awake, huh," she stated. She redressed the wraps on his right arm, if only to feel like she was doing something, while Sakura sat in the chair enveloped in Hinata's body heat and watched the boy in silence. After finishing with the cast, she backed away from the blonde. Sakura bit her lip as she scrutinized the look of helplessness on the face of her mentor.

The Hokage turned to her apprentice with a firm line on her lips. "Don't stay here too late, Sakura," she stated, though it was more of a request than a command. "Exhausting yourself won't help anyone."

Sakura kept her gaze on the blonde shinobi, but nodded firmly. "Yes, Tsunade-shishou."

Satisfied, Tsunade unlatched the handle and made her exit, leaving the teammates alone. Sakura's eyes studied her blonde friend. As she inspects the boy as he lays insentient, the rosette's mind relayed back to when they first arrived at the recovery scene for the two former members of Team Seven.

She remembered how the entire army scoured the area around the Valley of the End to find the two ninja. Shizune immediately went to work on Sasuke and poured her Chakra into wounds of the Uchiha. Shortly thereafter, though still unconscious—as he would be for several days—Sasuke was still good for transport.

Naruto, who Sakura had been working hastily on, was not so lucky. Fearing the worst, she asked her fellow apprentice and Ino to give her a hand in healing the young boy. Sakura wondered aloud why the Nine-Tailed Fox wasn't helping, when she unzipped his jacket and noticed the seal keeping the Fox confined inside the shinobi was missing. The natural healing abilities of the Fox had vanished along with it.

Though the wound had stopped bleeding at the end of the battle, there was still some internal bleeding. Naruto's right arm was also bent in odd angles and veins pulsed painfully against his skin. With the three medic's Chakra, they made Naruto stable enough for short transport, but he wouldn't make Konoha.

That week in Suna may have been on of the hardest weeks of her life. Every day was a struggle for her and the medic-nin to keep Naruto's pulse from going out and more than a few times that first night was CPR necessary to resuscitate him.

By the end of the week, Naruto's condition had stabilized enough to make the trip back to his homeland, but his condition was still up in the air as to whether he'd ever be 100% or even regain consciousness.

Sakura forced herself from her trance and smiled at the boy. "Well, Naruto, I'm back. Again." The last came out much weaker than she desired, though she wryly mused the boy wouldn't mind, responsive or not.

"Hinata's been seeing you a lot, lately," she commented light-heartedly. "I'm almost jealous. But you were always easy to relate to. You were so considerate, that way.

"It was something of a long day, today. I had to help Kurenai-sensei by giving her child a check-up. She's so cute. And the way Shikamaru dotes on her like an older brother is endearing. I think Temari-san and Ino might have a struggle on their hand, if they both decide they like that in a man.

"I also worked with Misaki-baa-chan with her back, again. She's been getting better, though. She's becoming more active. I'll have to introduce you, sometime. She's wanted to meet you since I first mentioned I was close friends with the great Hero of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto. You've become quite famous, you know? I'm so proud of you!

"Hey, here's something new, I saw Iruka-sensei! He was walking around on a class trip, showing his incoming genin class the hospital, and introduced me to them. He called me one of his finest students, ever. Take that, Hotshot! Even some of the girls marveled at me. They were so cute. I'm looking forward to some of the younger children becoming shinobi in the new age.

"What else…? Oh! Sasuke-kun had his bandages on his eyes removed, today! The operation was a complete success. He has full vision back! He doesn't have the Sharingan, anymore, but I don't think he's upset by it.

"He also got his sentencing…but he got off lightly. I helped to testify for him. I sure wish you would've been there. Though…as rambunctious and knuckleheaded as you are, you might have destroyed the council room in a rage. I'm really glad he didn't get prison, though…or worse.

"But, he was stripped as a shinobi. He can't do official missions anymore, but maybe that's for the best. Besides, he'll still be a great asset to the village and her allies; I can't imagine that he won't be used in extreme circumstances. He seemed down after he found out, but I gave him a whack, just like you would. I think he got the message. He even smiled! I think he'll bounce back just fine."

A light chuckle rose to her lips. "We're all back together in Konoha again, Naruto! We're all…together…" Her laughter died in her throat as a deafening silence surrounded the girl. A lump formed in her throat, but she forcibly gulped it down, refusing to let her sadness dampen her spirits that she could see the boy's smile, again.

She extended a hand and placed it on his forehead. Her palm slid over to his left cheek and she stroked his whiskers gently. He twitched ever so slightly under her gentle touch, but, otherwise, no motion was made by the unconscious shinobi.

She leaned back into the chair and turned her heady gaze from the blonde to the fiery hue out the window as the sun began its descent to end the day. The picturesque horizon, coupled with the emotional turmoil she was in and mild relief they were alone opened floodgates to Sakura's heart she hadn't known existed.

The words cascaded from her lips without her knowledge. After they started, she tried desperately to halt it, but they continued to flow. Eventually, she just allowed her thoughts to race with it. "You know, Naruto…you're simply amazing. I haven't even properly thanked you for bringing Sasuke-kun back. I'm not happy for me, though, or even Konoha. I'm thankful you could do it for yourself.

"Truthfully, Naruto, I was afraid. Did you know? You always knew me well…so maybe you had a clue…but when Sai told me that you were trying so hard to get Sasuke-kun back because of that silly 'promise of a lifetime' I forced you to make back when he first left, I was deathly afraid. I was scared that was the only thing that kept you wanting to bring Sasuke-kun back home.

"When I told you I loved you in that blizzard…honestly, it was mostly to get you to stop chasing Sasuke-kun. Because I wanted to do it, myself. I thought I had steeled myself to eliminate Sasuke-kun and then join him in the Afterlife. But, I couldn't do it. Your words to both Sasuke-kun and myself, that day; they told me that you weren't just bringing him back for my sake. I can't tell you the weight that took off my shoulders. Because if that promise was the only reason you were going on, you might start hating it…and if you started to hate that promise…you might start to hate me, too.

"Naruto… we're so close now…so close to reuniting as Team Seven. But…even though we're so close…I don't think I've ever felt so far away from our goal…I realize, now, Naruto…the one that connected us, as Team Seven…no…the one that connected most of our friends together, was you…With your condition, though…it feels like we're distancing further and further away from each other…So, please…come back…come back, Naruto…without you…Team Seven won't…I won't…"

A strong hand gently patted her shoulder before she could continue causing her to flinch. At some point, she had closed her eyes without realizing it, keeping the sadness from flowing out of her. The tender caress suddenly made her body feel both numb and warm at the same time.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan…I'm always making you worried, huh?"

Shaken sea green eyes rose to meet jovial sky blue staring back just inches from her face. A flood of thoughts raced through the girl's mind, replaying all of the interactions of Team Seven and with Naruto. The memories brought with them a newfound emotion that could only be explained as a combination of every sensation she ever felt.

A confident grin spread across the blonde's face and reached his eyes. He chuckled lightly at the medic. "I'm back!"

The rosette hiccupped and her vision became hazy. Naruto's gaze softened to one of concern at her. He mouthed her name, but she didn't hear it. She smiled brightly at him, though she knew she was crying. She gripped him tightly, ignoring the cringe that came from the boy. The dam that had been loosed when she had been talking to the boy was bursting, now, but all she could do was mutter his name in gratitude.

She felt the boy shiver under her grasp. At first she thought he was cold, but realized he was just laughing. Sakura knew she missed her best friend's grin and laugh, but what surprised her was the extent that she desired it.

"Sakura-chan," the blonde's breathed in his uniquely raspy voice, "how could you ever think I could hate you?"

Having her fears voiced out loud, it made her realize how silly the idea really sounded. The blonde ninja always knew how to cheer her up and she smiled appreciatively into his chest. He must have felt it, because he shifted and coughed to hide his giggle from the tickle it gave him.

She then froze. She rewound to his last statement. Her brow furrowed and she leaned back a bit to allow her eyes to peer into his. "Naruto…" The sound was both sweet and hazardous.

He stiffened, again. He recognized that tone; it was usually followed with a super-powered punch to some part of his anatomy. "Sakura-chan…?"

"How long have you been awake?"

"Ehhh…?" The bear hug she had him in turned into a death lock. He exhaled painfully.

"How long have you been awake?" she repeated with an ominously sweet accent.

Naruto blanched. "About…since you were talking about Sasuke's sentence…?"

_"MORON~!"_

A loud crash followed by an agonizing screech shook the entire hospital.

**XXXXXXXXX**

The Fifth Hokage had to cover her mouth to keep the giggles from escaping when she entered the room and saw the carnage, which was difficult enough without her heart being lifted by the fact the orange ninja always spouting about being Hokage had finally awakened.

Naruto was most definitely aware, again. But it was difficult to tell, as his head was wrapped thrice as much as necessary to keep his mouth shut. There as an imprint in the wall on the opposite side Sakura sat on. The rosette apprentice smiled innocently at her teacher.

"Well, I see you're up, Brat." Naruto attempted his best scowl, but the bandages and the massive lump on his left cheek transformed his frown. His lips pucker at the Sannin and one eye was partially forced shut from the lump gathering on his cheek and temple.

Tsunade chuckled and went to work unwrapping his head and healing the lump that could only have been made by a Chakra-powered blow. Guessing what had happened, but interested in details, anyway, she asked the obvious question. "What happened here?"

Through swollen cheek and feeble pout, Naruto began to explain. His words died in his throat when a vicious killing intent arose in the room. His eyes widened at the Hokage's apprentice, and the novella he had planned to tell was reduced to a sputtering mumble about how he fell out of bed.

Tsunade giggled at their interaction, reminded of how she acted with Jiraiya throughout their time together. The white-haired Sannin's insults lead to him receiving a concussion or deep bruises on more than a few occasions. Though the killing intent was still there when the doctor turned to her apprentice, she didn't miss the relieved glint in her eye that the blonde was finally conscious.

Another presence of Chakra was felt by the pair, as a cloud of smoke appeared in the corner of the room. Stepping out from the screen was a recognizable spiky silver-haired ninja. The shinobi's eyes perked up in hearty cheer. "Yo!"

Naruto leaned forward cheerfully. "Kakashi-sensei! You're ok!"

The jounin chuckled lightly. "Well, I'm a little better off than you are. But only recently did I start going back on missions."

"Recently…?" A stiff hand pushed him back into his pillow, causing him to purse his lips.

Tsunade sighed at the boy. "Naruto, I know you're energetic, but you're still recovering. Your body needs to regain its strength. You've been unconscious for a month."

The message didn't seem to register with the boy, at first, when his mouth dropped. "I've been here for a _month!?_" he exasperatedly repeated.

Sakura avoided the blonde's gaze when she felt his eyes fall upon her. "Your regenerative powers have decreased back to normal parameters," the pink-haired medic unsteadily informed him. His gaze didn't waver, but it did raise an eyebrow inquisitively. She glanced meaningfully at the boy and bit her lip.

The boy's eyes widened at the declaration that hung in the air. The end of his battle with Madara flashed in his mind's eye. His face lowered, a small grin spread as he leaned back into the bed he lay on. "I see…that makes sense…" His eyes stared listlessly at the ceiling while the room's other occupants eyed him, somberly.

An unsteady chortle flew from the boy's lips. "It's funny, isn't it…?" he said to no one in particular. "My whole life, Kurama was sealed inside of me. I was shunned and hated by the village because of him…I even hated the fact he was there, when I found out about him." He placed the back of his hand on his forehead, but his smile never left his visage. "But…I began to understand him, recently. And he became one of my most trusted comrades. He fought alongside me for so long, even when we weren't friends…now that he's gone…I feel like I'm missing a piece of myself."

"Naruto…" The rosette gave him a subdued stare.

He sat back up and his grin grew wide. "It's ok. I'm just happy that, at the end, I got to know him better; and all the other Chakra Beast," he looked pointedly at the medic-nin. "In the end, he seemed happy."

Kakashi released a knowing breath. "I understand completely, Naruto, losing something important to you," he stated.

The orange ninja raised an eyebrow at his teacher. He realized something seemed different about the man. He gasped. "Sensei! When did you lose your Sharingan!?"

It was true. The man's mask was now lowered to cover only his mouth. A black pupil nearly identical to his other eye had replaced the unmistakable red Kekkei Genkai he received from his Uchiha friend, Obito.

Sakura swallowed hard. "Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun," she started, "they both lost their Sharingan."

"What?" The teacher's mask wrinkled into a smirk. "But, doesn't that mean—"

"I have made both the Lightning Blade and Chidori kinjutsu," Tsunade announced, "due to the danger of being unable to react quick enough to the attacks without the Sharingan."

Naruto frowned at the teacher, who waved a hand in the air to assuage his doubts. "It's ok, Naruto," he said glibly. "It's not all bad."

"Huh?"

"Both the Chidori and Lightning Cutter are, at their core, assassination techniques," Kakashi elucidated. "It may be tough to part with them, but…a world where attacks like those aren't necessary isn't a bad world." He looked pointedly at the two. "It's exactly what everyone fought for, right?"

His two students gaped at the profound reply from their sensei. Their stunned looks swiftly grew to lighthearted grins, agreeing with the jounin's analysis. The jounin's mask crinkled into a smirk, in return.

The door behind the Hokage clicked again, causing the foursome's collective gaze to fall upon the new entrant. In stepped Tsunade's dark-haired assistant and her pet pig.

Shizune released a bright smile, touched with a hint of relief, at the blonde. "Naruto-kun, you have a visitor." She nodded at the doorway.

Naruto's interest piqued when he saw a pale leg and a hospital gown. In stepped another dark-haired being, this one male.

It was Sasuke.

The blonde's mouth gaped at the missing-nin who stood resolute before him. The eyes betrayed his firmness, however, when they refused to stare directly at the bedridden shinobi.

Sakura stood up immediately at Naruto's bed side. "Sasuke-kun!" she chided. "You should be resting." A soft but firm hand grasped her wrist. She looked down at a stern gaze on the orange ninja's face. He glanced up at the girl with a fleetingly insistent glint in his eyes, asking a silent question.

The rosette medic pursed her lips but agreed against her better judgment. She lent a second hand to the blonde, who grappled with the tangle of sheets to rise out of bed. He stood precariously in the rosette's arms and leaned against her slender frame as he slowly stepped to the foot of the bed.

After reaching it, the blonde earnestly gripped the girl's forearm and wrested himself from her grasp, despite her silent pleas to be careful. Breath ragged from atrophied muscles, Naruto steadied his stance, facing his best friend with the same indomitable determination that he fought him with only a month earlier; that he chased him with for over three years.

Feeling the sheer force of will from the orange ninja's gaze perforating his very soul did little to spurn the Uchiha's own misgivings about the meeting. Shizune had walked in to inform the teen of his friend's regaining of consciousness, and he immediately wanted to see him. But every step he approached the door to Naruto's room became weighted down and he started to have doubts about seeing the shinobi.

"Naruto…" The name rolled off of the dark-haired teen's tongue hoarsely as if from a foreign language, breaking the deafening silence that had collected since his entry into the room. Now that Sasuke was there, in front of his friend, what should he say? What could he say?

In his very core, he knew what he had to say. So, overcoming his reservations, he tried again. "I…" Again, the boy's voice died as soon as he started.

"…_**Bastard!**_"

The feral raspy growl and the subsequent clasp from Konoha's #1 Unpredictable Ninja into his arms forced a shocked grunt from the lips of the Uchiha. Sasuke stiffened at the brotherly embrace, wondering his next action.

He felt drips on his collar bone, uncovered by the loose hospital gown, and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the blonde. Naruto had his eyes closed, failing miserably at holding back the alleviating saline that fell from his eyes.

"Welcome home…you Bastard…"

The floodgates in the Uchiha's heart burst open. Every emotion he had fought down since his brother slaughtered their clan washed over him like a hurricane. Overwhelmed by the moment, his stare became foggy and lucid at the same time.

Sasuke collapsed in tears.

He slinked his arms around the blonde, who had followed him to the ground, and clutched into his back tightly.

"I'm back...Loser..."

A second, gentler warmth wrapped around the neck of the two ninja and pressed her forehead against theirs, joining in the mild celebration of his return and the restoration of Team Seven.

Shizune wiped her eyes from the wetness that gathered at the edges of her eyes, Tonton rubbing her nose jovially against the assistant's ankle. Tsunade just smiled warmly at the amalgamation of black, rose, and blonde on the ground.

Kakashi, meanwhile, surveyed the scene as an outsider for a moment, reminiscing on his former team, including the deceased Fourth Hokage, Rin, and Obito. A solemn smirk graced his lips at the much happier end to this story than the previous one.

The blonde loosened his hold to glance up at his teacher and wiped his eyes. A broad grin the reached his eyes glistened into the air and lightened the air causing Sakura to mimic the beaming grin, even bringing forth a serene smile through Sasuke's silently streaming mirth.

'_Naruto…Thank you.'_

**XXXXXXXXX**

"_So cry for now, if that's what you want, and know that I'll always be there for you, simply just because I'll always be there for you."_

**Next Time: Epilogue – The Never-Ending Path**

Author's Note: The Epilogue will be posted separately, as a companion piece. Look forward to it, please!


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